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B’nai B’rith International President Gary P. Saltzman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith International is dismayed at the presumptuous and counterproductive consideration by the United Nations of a resolution whose only purpose was to implicitly criticize the recent United States recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. That recognition was proper, as was the U.S. vetoing of the draft resolution today. B’nai B’rith International commends Ambassador Nikki Haley for her strong stance in speaking out against this resolution.
 
As all know, Jerusalem alone has always served as Israel’s capital, and it is inconceivable that any other city would ever claim that role. Jerusalem has never been the capital of any other state, and no nation anywhere has ties to a city as deep and profound as Israel’s are to Jerusalem.
 
Moreover, sovereign states are entitled to choose their appropriate seat of government and to recognize other countries’ capital cities. The recent White House acknowledgment, including its expression of intention to situate the American Embassy in Jerusalem, is in keeping with longstanding bipartisan consensus, with realities on the ground and with a Congressional decision dating back more than two decades.
 
Only under the united sovereignty of the Middle East’s sole democracy, Israel, has Jerusalem truly flourished as a city of diversity, with religious freedom for all.
 
 It remains deeply inappropriate for the U.N. to attempt to infringe upon the fundamental rights of Israel and the U.S. — and disappointing that any allies of the two countries would enable such infringement. Rather than doing so, efforts should focus on encouraging the Palestinians to finally accept their obligations toward, and conflict-resolution exclusively through direct talks and meaningful compromise with, Israel.