Bill Text: NJ AR204 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Disapproves of decision of U.S. not to veto United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016), pertaining to Israel.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-01-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee [AR204 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-AR204-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Disapproves of decision of U.S. not to veto United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016), pertaining to Israel.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution disapproving of the decision of the United States not to veto United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016), pertaining to Israel.
Whereas, The State of Israel has been a loyal friend and strong ally to the United States since its establishment in 1948 and its immediate recognition by President Harry S. Truman; and
Whereas, The United States government has historically opposed and vetoed United Nations Security Council resolutions that are one-sided and excessively or unfairly critical of Israel; and
Whereas, On December 23, 2016, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2334, which condemns Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem; and
Whereas, The United States government, under the direction of President Barack Obama, broke its well-established commitment to the State of Israel, the strongest ally of the United States in the Middle East, and broke with longstanding United States foreign policy by failing to veto this resolution unfairly condemning Israel; and
Whereas, Contrary to the United States' objective of encouraging direct, bilateral negotiations, allowing the resolution to pass instead incentivizes parties to seek recourse through international institutions; and
Whereas, Not only does the resolution threaten, rather than promote, peace in the Middle East, it jeopardizes Israel's position with regard to the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling Israel's actions a "flagrant violation under international law" and implicitly encouraging advancement of the notion that Israeli officials may have engaged in the "war crime" of settlement building; and
Whereas, The failure of the United States to veto this destabilizing and dangerous resolution occurred notwithstanding the statements of United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power that Israel has been treated differently from other nations at the United Nations, as evidenced by the abundance of resolutions against Israel adopted during the U.N. General Assembly and in the Human Rights Council in 2016, more than those focused on any other specific country such as Syria, North Korea, Iran, or South Sudan; and
Whereas, Leaders considered by the Obama Administration as "principled on behalf of peace" in the Middle East, such as the Israeli opposition party chair, and advocates of a two-state solution criticized the resolution and recognized it as damaging to Israel and its interests; and
Whereas, The United States House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bipartisan resolution on January 5, 2017, declaring unwavering support for Israel and insisting that the United States reject any future United Nations actions that are "one-sided and anti-Israel"; and
Whereas, A similar measure was introduced in the United States Senate on January 4, 2017, and has also received bipartisan support; and
Whereas, The United Nations should not be a forum used for seeking unilateral action or dictating the parameters for a two-state solution, including the status of Jerusalem, as these issues should be directly negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians according to the policy pursued by the United States for many years; and
Whereas, Allowing Resolution 2334 to pass was morally wrong, strategically damaging, and reversed decades of past practice; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House disapproves of the decision of the United States to abstain from voting on United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, adopted December 23, 2016, rather than veto the resolution.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States House of Representatives, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and each member of the United States Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
The State of Israel has been a loyal friend and strong ally to the United States since its establishment in 1948 and its immediate recognition by President Harry S. Truman. Though the United States Government has historically opposed and vetoed United Nations Security Council resolutions that are excessively or unfairly critical of Israel, on December 23, 2016, the United States government, under the direction of President Barack Obama, broke its longstanding commitment to the State of Israel by failing to veto United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemns Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The United Nations should not be a forum used for seeking unilateral action or dictating the parameters for a two-state solution, including the status of Jerusalem. Allowing Resolution 2334 to pass was morally wrong, strategically damaging, and reversed decades of past practice. Thus, the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey disapproves of the decision of the United States not to veto United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016).
