An influential American Senator has urged the Obama administration to veto an anti-Israeli resolution in the UN Security Council.
New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez said this in a statement following news reports that US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice has offered to support a draft statement affirming that the Security Council "does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity" during UN negotiations.
"There are only two parties that are competent to address the issue of settlements and two parties that can move the negotiations forward. The US role is in facilitating those negotiations, encouraging the parties, and using its voice and vote to object to any action that threatens to derail progress," he said.
"Today, the US lost sight of its role in this process and instead facilitated and encouraged anti-Israeli sentiment by conceding an argument that was not ours to concede. The US must stand by its ally Israel and veto this flawed United Nations resolution," Menendez said.
"Moreover, the merits of any peace proposal between the Israelis and the Palestinians must always be weighed against the assurances Israel requires for its security, which is especially apparent given the current turmoil in the Middle East," he said.
Israel's right to exist and defend itself is inalienable and must be explicitly recognized by its Arab neighbors and the United Nations, Menendez said.
{{/usCountry}}Israel's right to exist and defend itself is inalienable and must be explicitly recognized by its Arab neighbors and the United Nations, Menendez said.
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