NEW YORK - The Rabbinical Assembly, the international association of Conservative rabbis, has issued the following statement expressing its disappointment in Friday’s United Nations vote to condemn Israeli settlements and the failure of the United States to veto the resolution:
The Rabbinical Assembly is profoundly disappointed that the United States failed to veto Friday’s United Nations resolution condemning Israeli settlements as “a flagrant violation of international law.” Regardless of one’s views on the settlements, this one-sided measure is yet another instance of the UN putting full blame on the Israelis for stalled peace negotiations.
Throughout the years, the UN repeatedly has singled out Israel for opprobrium, and this measure is no different. The United States, by its abstention, has undermined a significant principle of longstanding American policy: that peace between the Israelis and Palestinians will come only through direct negotiations.