“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, in a recent New York Times editorial, urged the Obama administration before its term expires “to grant American diplomatic recognition to the state of Palestine, as 137 countries have already done, and help it achieve full United Nations membership.” Time is short to achieve a two-state solution, which has long been the basis of the UCC’s General Synod resolutions and official U.S. policy.
The unrestrained growth in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, which many believe will likely increase under the new U.S. administration means, according to President Carter, that “[t]his is the best — now, perhaps, the only — means of countering the one-state reality that Israel is imposing on itself and the Palestinian people. Recognition of Palestine and a new Security Council resolution are not radical new measures, but a natural outgrowth of America’s support for a two-state solution.”
Urge President Obama to support Palestine at the UN and take firm action to stop Israeli settlements in his final weeks in office. This movement could set the course for a just and lasting peace that will benefit Palestinians and Israelis in the months and years ahead.
Palestine applied to become a full member of the United Nations more than five years ago. That application, which was forwarded to the Security Council, remains in one of its committees, even though the General Assembly accorded Palestine observer state status in 2012. Current circumstances provide an opportunity for the Obama administration to allow Palestine’s application for full membership to move forward. The U.S. could vote affirmatively or abstain on a Security Council recommendation to the General Assembly for member status for Palestine. Because a strong majority of UN member states recognize Palestine, they would almost certainly be approved as a member state.
Ask President Obama to support Palestine's full membership in the UN.
President Obama must also act to stop the settlements. Israel continues to expand settlements, illegal under international law, in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. As settlements grow, the space for Palestinians to live shrinks. As the West Bank is carved up, daily life for Palestinians is crippled. Continued settlement expansion harms the prospects for peace and undermines security for both Palestinians and Israelis. The U.S. government has repeatedly spoken out against settlements but it can and should do more.
Let President Obama know that you support action to end the expansion of Israeli settlements. Call on the president today to ask him to act now for a just peace in Palestine and Israel.