WASHINGTON-Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement on the United Nations Security Council vote on Israeli settlement activity.
“I am very disappointed by the United States’ acquiescence to a one-sided, biased resolution at the United Nations Security Council. I have always believed that Israel can’t get a fair shake at the UN, and that is why Israel has relied on the United States to protect it from the anti-Israel tendencies of some UN Security Council members. This abstention represents a clear departure from convention, and I consider this a break in the Obama administration’s word that they would veto biased or one-sided anti-Israel resolutions.
“This resolution places the blame for the current impasse in negotiations entirely on Israel, asking nothing of the Palestinians. This offends me as someone who has been a firm believer in the two-state solution. I hope that in my lifetime, we will come to see two states for two peoples. However, this resolution sets back this dream. A sustainable solution to the conflict will only come from direct negotiations between the two parties.".
