The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has called upon President Barack Obama to publicly quash rumors that he will abandon Israel in the United Nations Security Council and permit a resolution to pass awarding UN membership to ‘Palestine,’ by publicly stating that the United States, in accordance with long-standing U.S. policy, will veto any such Palestinian attempt.
In recent days, reports have appeared suggesting that the Obama Administration is intending to abandon Israel in the United Nations Security Council in its upcoming session in January when Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority (PA) is expected to seek admission for ‘Palestine’ at the UN as a full member state. The Security Council alone has the power to admit new members to the UN.
The Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported the possibility of a scenario along these lines on October 19, while, this week, the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, wrote, “the post-November White House will be much less interested in defending Israel from hostile resolutions at the United Nations, where Israel is regularly scapegoated. The Obama administration may be looking to make Israel pay direct costs for its settlement policies. Next year, the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, will quite possibly seek full UN recognition for Palestine. I imagine that the U.S. will still try to block such a move in the Security Council, but it might do so by helping to craft a stridently anti-settlement resolution in its place. Such a resolution would isolate Israel from the international community” (Jeffrey Goldberg, ‘The Crisis in U.S.-Israel Relations Is Officially Here,’ The Atlantic, October 28, 2014).
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “President Obama has stated numerous times that the U.S/Israeli relationship is ‘sacrosanct’ and ‘unbreakable’ –– and so it should be.
“Irrespective of whatever disagreements and tensions that have bedeviled the relationship between his Administration and the Israeli government, this is an issue on a different plane: there simply should not be any divergence between Washington and Jerusalem.
“The admission of a make-believe state of ‘Palestine’ to the United Nations cannot be permitted because of disagreements –– and an Administration that would permit this to happen because of disagreements would stand revealed before the world as a fraudulent friend of Israel. It would stand revealed as going back on its original opposition to the admission of ‘Palestine’ as a non-state member in 2012.
“We call upon President Obama to immediately quash these rumors that he is planning to abandon Israel in the Security Council by stating publicly that his Administration will veto any resolution brought before the UN Security Council seeking to obtain UN membership for ‘Palestine.’
“President Obama should also state publicly that he will not present a resolution criticizing Israel in the Security Council over Jews living in eastern Jerusalem and Judea/Samaria. The place to work out disagreements on policy with Israel is in discussions with Israel officials, as befits relations between allies –– not by indulging Israel’s enemies in the Security Council in a fit of malice and pique.”