B’nai B’rith President Seth J. Riklin and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith International condemns the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA)’s passage of a resolution endorsing Palestinian full membership in the organization and giving enhanced privileges to the Palestinian delegation.

These new privileges include many of the rights associated with full membership including the right to be seated among the member states, to speak on behalf of country groups and to be elected as officers of the UNGA and its committees. The resolution calls on the Security Council to favorably reconsider the matter, even though it has already been discussed at great length at the council and the matter was only recently concluded when the U.S.—appropriately—used its veto.

We call on the U.S. State Department and Congress to urgently review if today’s unprecedented vote, which seemingly gives the Palestinians the rights of full membership minus the right to vote on resolutions, would force an automatic defunding of the United Nations by U.S. law, which prohibits the U.S. from funding international organizations that admit non-states as full members.

On Oct. 7, Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel and committed a horrific terrorist onslaught that included widespread sexual violence, the murder of over 1,200 men, women and children, and the taking of some 250 hostages. More than seven months have passed since these atrocities were committed, and—outrageously—neither the General Assembly nor the Security Council has managed to condemn Hamas for this unconscionable assault. For the General Assembly to instead give serious consideration to granting the Palestinians full membership is an insult to all the victims of Oct. 7, and a prospective reward and incentive for further Palestinian terrorism.

Today’s vote is not about peaceful resolution of the conflict. In fact, it is part of a long-term stated Palestinian strategy of avoiding direct negotiations and compromises with the State of Israel, while “internationalizing” the conflict to demonize and delegitimize Israel. This vote, as with previous efforts by the Palestinians for upgrading status at the U.N., puts us further away from the desired goal of peaceful coexistence, and could put the U.N. in financial hardship, in addition to grave reputational harm. We condemn all the member states that voted in favor of this farcical resolution.