American Jewish Committee Criticizes UN Security Council For Ignoring Spreading Arab Attacks Against Israel

American Jewish Committee
Saturday, 7 October 2000

The American Jewish Committee tonight expressed deep regret over the UN Security Council's resolution singling out Israel for condemnation over the violence in the region.

AJC President Bruce M. Ramer and Acting Executive Director Shulamith Bahat issued the following statement:

"The American Jewish Committee is stunned that at a time when Arab attacks against Israel are spreading, the UN Security Council passes a resolution singling out Israel for the violence of recent days.

"We are reminded of the days leading up to the June 1967 Arab-Israeli war when the international community ignored the mobilization of Arab armies and the verbal threats of Arab leaders. Now, as Israel is under assault from Palestinians, including armed Palestinian police, from Hezbollah forces in Lebanon and from the leaders of Iran and Iraq who are calling for Israel's wholesale destruction, the UN Security Council has chosen to discount these very real and vivid dangers while condemning Israel.

"We are deeply distressed that too many in the international community have bought the simplistic story of Israeli persecution and excessive use of force without ever asking the tough questions about Palestinian behavior or motives.

"The Palestinian Authority launched long before Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount a pernicious campaign to negate any Jewish claims whatsoever to Judaism's holiest city, Jerusalem. This campaign has intensified since Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat spurned Israel's far-reaching offers, including a willingness to explore compromises on Jerusalem, at Camp David this summer.

"Members of Arafat's Cabinet have publicly asserted that the First and Second Jewish Temples never existed, a bizarre claim, all the more so since the Jewish temples are mentioned in the Koran. Nevertheless, the concerted effort to assert an exclusive claim to the Temple Mount is propagated on the Palestinian Authority web site, through the media and in the mosques in Palestinian-controlled areas.

"While we grieve for the tragic loss of life, Israeli and Palestinian, over the past week, we firmly believe that this senseless bloodshed needn't have happened if Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat had assumed the responsibility of leadership, acted to calm rather than inflame his people and returned to the path of peace.

"Instead, today, on the Jewish Sabbath, Palestinian police stood by as a Palestinian mob ransacked Joseph's Tomb and destroyed Jewish holy books, part of the continuing Palestinian violence in the West Bank and Gaza, fueled by the incendiary rhetoric of the Palestinian leadership.

"The Security Council, however, chose to ignore these Palestinian actions, just at it looked the other way after Hezbollah crossed the Israeli-Lebanese border and kidnapped three Israeli soldiers today while firing rockets into northern Israel.

"As we prepare for Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, we pray for the safe return of the three Israeli soldiers, for the Palestinians to end their violence and return to negotiations to end the conflict permanently and establish a durable peace."

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