The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution Thursday that rebukes the recent vote in the United Nations Security Council condemning Israeli settlements.
House Resolution 11, which passed 342-80, condemned the U.N. resolution as a “one-sided” effort that is an obstacle to peace, while also criticizing President Barack Obama’s administration for refusing to veto the resolution and abandoning the longstanding U.S. policy of defending Israel against one-sided U.N. measures. The House resolution called for the U.N. resolution to be repealed, and suggested steps for the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump to limit the effects of the U.N. vote.
U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), who introduced the resolution along with U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), said the House resolution seeks to “reject the U.N. resolution that calls for a Palestinian state but not a Jewish state. A resolution that opens the door for those who want to impose boycott, divestment or other sanctions measures against Israel or Israeli companies. And in essence declarers Judaism’s holiest site as occupied territory.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked U.S. lawmakers for their vote to reject the “one-sided” U.N. resolution.
“Democrats and Republicans alike know that the Western Wall isn’t occupied territory,” Netanyahu said Friday. “They voted to either repeal the resolution at the U.N. or change it—and that’s exactly what we intend to do. I want to thank the U.S. House of Representatives, which reflects the tremendous support Israel enjoys among the American people. Thank you, America. Thank you, Congress.”
U.S. Jewish organizations also praised the House resolution’s passage, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobby, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and other groups.
“We commend the House of Representatives for repudiating the biased U.N. Security Council Resolution and for affirming its commitment to ensure that all final status Israeli-Palestinian issues, including settlements, are resolved through direct negotiations between the parties,” ADL leaders Marvin D. Nathan and Jonathan A. Greenblatt said in a joint statement.
