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​B’nai B’rith International salutes the House of Representatives for bipartisan repudiation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution that reiterated the erroneous and harmful position that Jewish settlements are a primary obstacle to Middle East peace.
 
The United States abstained from the vote, despite vetoing a similar resolution five years prior. The House’s resolution, passed on Jan. 5 by a vote of 342 to 80, noted that the UNSC resolution “undermines the prospect of Israelis and Palestinians resuming productive, direct negotiations.”
 
“We commend the U.S. House of Representatives for its unwavering support of the Jewish state. The United Nations’ bias toward Israel is both unfounded and incessant, and this resolution was yet another example of that. The American abstention on the U.N. vote, which enabled the resolution to pass, was simply unacceptable,” B’nai B’rith International President Gary P. Saltzman said.
 
The House legislation also states that “a durable and sustainable peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians will come only through direct bilateral negotiations between the parties resulting in a Jewish, democratic state living side-by-side next to a demilitarized Palestinian state in peace and security.”
 
“The Palestinian Authority has become adept at using the United Nations system to promote its own narrative. B’nai B’rith applauds the House of Representatives for its commitment to ensuring that the process of pursing peace between Israelis and Palestinians is through direct negotiations,” B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin said. “We readily urge the Senate to pass this piece of legislation.”