Rep. Zeldin Votes to Condemn United Nation's Anti-Israel Resolution

Press Release

On Thursday, January 5, 2017, Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Co-Chairman of the House Republican Israel Caucus, announced passage today of House Resolution 11, which opposes United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2334 that passed on December 23, 2016 and calls for the UNSC Resolution to be repealed. Prior to the House floor vote, Congressman Zeldin spoke on the House floor in support of H. Res 11, which you can watch here.

Congressman Zeldin said, "I rise today in support of H. Res 11 to oppose United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334; an anti-Israel, anti-Jewish attempt on behalf of Pro-Palestinian nations to delegitimize Israel and ethnically cleanse East Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria of the Jewish people. Israel is one of America's greatest allies and a beacon of freedom and liberty in a very dark region of the world. President Obama lit a menorah this year at the White House and he reflected on Hanukkah as a celebration of the Maccabees' fight for freedom….The Maccabees lived, prayed and fought on the land that this Security Council resolution calls illegally occupied territory and yet this resolution was passed the day before the start of Hanukkah.

The Obama administration, by allowing this resolution to pass, is attempting a dangerous shift in American foreign policy that cannot be allowed to stand. The Israelis have long been willing to compromise large swaths of land in this region in pursuit of a two state solution. It has been the Palestinians who have time and again declined real offers on the table for their own state. Just think about this reality…if the Israelis agreed right now to make all of the concessions this UN Security Council resolution calls for, there would still not be peace.

A viable two state solution isn't just about Israel recognizing the Palestinians right to exist, it's also about the Palestinians recognizing Israel's right to exist. It is the Palestinians who financially reward terrorists for murdering innocent Americans and innocent Israelis. The United States should suspend foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority, move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. It is the Palestinians who if they had an election today, Hamas would win. This is an entity that has committed not to rest unless Israel is wiped off the map. In 2015, I was in Ramallah and met with the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority who said to me without exception or hesitation that he would never recognize Israel as a Jewish state. These are just some of the realities Israel are up against. As for me, I stand for freedom and America should stand strong, shoulder to shoulder, with Israel."

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