Letter to Barack Obama, President of the United States - Veto One-Sided UN Initiatives on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Letter

Dear Mr. President:

We share your frustration with the lack of significant progress toward a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Nevertheless, we remain committed to the objective of two states for two peoples - a democratic, Jewish state of Israel and a democratic, Palestinian state, living side-by-side in peace, security, and mutual recognition. We are united in our willingness to work with you now on constructive steps to counter the recent surge in terrorist activities and foster an environment conducive to eventually restarting serious negotiations.

Only the parties themselves can agree to end their conflict through a negotiated resolution. The United States must maintain its indispensable role of mediator, which has always adhered to the following tenets:

Close coordination with our democratic ally Israel;
A refusal to support counterproductive efforts aimed at imposing a solution on the parties;
Opposition to Palestinian efforts to seek recognition of statehood status in international bodies;
A willingness to oppose and, if need be, veto one-sided United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolutions;
A commitment to work with Arab states to contribute to peace and development efforts; and
Unequivocal condemnation of terrorist organizations like Hamas until such groups recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce terror, and accept prior Israeli-Palestinian agreements.

Because of our strong commitment to these principles, we are deeply troubled by reports that one-sided initiatives may arise at the UN in the coming months concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Such efforts dangerously hinder the prospects for resuming direct negotiations.

We therefore urge you to continue to insist that it is only at the negotiating table -- and not at the UN -- that the parties can resolve their complicated differences. Your continued commitment to longstanding U.S. policy to veto one-sided UN Security Council resolutions remains fundamentally critical.

We stand ready to assist you in these efforts, and we look forward to your response.