(Jerusalem Post) Danielle Ziri - In the aftermath of the UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements, American Jewish organizations expressed their strong opposition to a Middle East peace conference called for Jan. 15 in Paris. Leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations called for the French to cancel or postpone this "ill-conceived, poorly timed and damaging" event, saying it is not the time "for another sham forum in which the usual one-sided outcomes against Israel are the likeliest result." The group noted the impending transition to a new U.S. administration just five days later and said, "It makes no sense that the next administration is precluded from participating in a discussion of an essential component of U.S. foreign policy with which it will be engaged." The Conference of Presidents urged the U.S. to announce that it will not participate in the event and called on leaders of all the invited countries to "work to cancel the Paris meeting and refocus on the parties coming together for direct negotiations." American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris told the Jerusalem Post that the Paris conference "is not the way to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process." Anything other than bilateral talks "simply convinces the Palestinians they can avoid the face-to-face bargaining table."
2017-01-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive