UN Security Council (file)
UN Security Council (file)Reuters

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a key organization fighting anti-Semitism, issued a condemnation on Wednesday of the Palestinian Authority (PA) resolution to the UN Security Council which failed in a vote the night before.

The resolution, introduced by Jordan for the PA, unilaterally demanded recognition for the PA as a state, a final peace agreement to be sealed within a year, and Israeli withdrawals from Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem by the end of 2017.

ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman released a statement saying PA chairperson Mahmoud Abbas "continues to play a dangerously negative political game with the future of the Palestinian people."

"By attempting to impose an international solution in order to circumvent direct talks with Israel, Abbas continues to demonstrate his unwillingness to engage in direct and sincere negotiations with Israel over a two-state solution," said Foxman. "With the introduction of this resolution, the UN Security Council has reached a new low."

Detailing the vote, Foxman continued "we welcome the strong leadership of the United States joined by Australia in voting 'no.' Their 'no' votes combined with the five abstentions averted an outcome which would have been shameful."

After the vote, US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power criticized the resolution, saying it is "deeply imbalanced and contains many elements that are not conducive to negotiations between the parties, including unconstructive deadlines that take no account of Israel’s legitimate security concerns."

Foxman commented on Power's statement, saying she "clearly identified the serious defects in the one-sided substance of the resolution and what she called the ‘staged’ process for considering the resolution which was foisted on the Security Council by President Abbas."

"The vote by France in favor of the resolution raises questions about France’s ability to play a constructive role in helping to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," added Foxman.

France was joined by China and Russia as being the major nations voting for the resolution. Russia issued a statement afterwards saying it "regrets that the UN Security Council did not manage to adopt the draft resolution."

"One-sided measures such as this resolution will not bring about the reconciliation of Israel and the Palestinians. They reward Palestinian intransigence and delay the arrival of an independent state for the Palestinians. It is time to let President Abbas know that he will not achieve a Palestinian state by evading negotiations with Israel," concluded Foxman.