UN vote proves Israel isn't alone, Christian group says
'65 nations not supporting anti-Jerusalem resolution is major change,' Sandell says.
By BENJAMIN GLATTUpdated: DECEMBER 22, 2017 23:23ATTENDEES OF THE annual Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Summit in Washington DC.(photo credit: Courtesy)
The UN would have liked to have a united front against Israel and the US on the vote against recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, but the numbers of the vote proved otherwise, the European Coalition for Israel said."A total of 65 nations voted against, abstained or did not show up for the vote, in a clear reprimand against the Turkish sponsored resolution," said ECI founding director Tomas Sandell. "Contrary to the vote in the Security Council on Monday, today’s vote shows that Israel is not isolated in the international community."It is these 65 nations which did not support today’s biased resolution that make up the moral minority in the United Nations General Assembly where close to half of the member states fail to meet the most basic criteria for parliamentary democracies," he said.The United Nations General Assembly vote on the draft resolution on the Status of Jerusalem was approved Thursday by 128 votes, 35 abstentions, 21 no-shows and 9 against. Other than Israel and the US, only Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo voted against.Prior to the vote, the pro-Israel Christian group said that every self-respecting Christian nation must face the facts regarding how well-protected holy sites in Israel are.In the letter ECI pointed out that “Israel is the best guardian of an open and inclusive Jerusalem which respects the faiths of all its citizens and guarantees free access to their holy sites."The letter further stated that “it is an indisputable fact that, unlike other guardians of the city from the Romans to the Crusaders to the State of Jordan between 1949 and 1967, freedom of religion has only been preserved under Israeli sovereignty. Jerusalem remains one of the few places in the Middle East where Jews, Christians and Muslims, are able to pray in freedom, security and peace."In the letter ECI called on all member states to “refrain from adopting any resolution which would interfere with or jeopardize this unique status for a city, which is rightfully called holy by three world religions, while calling on the Israelis and Palestinians to unconditionally return to the negotiating table."ECI Legal Counsel Andrew Tucker said that “the draft resolution tabled by Jordan adopts the position that Israel has no legitimate claim over any part of Jerusalem. It is unreasonable for Jordan now, given its conduct between 1947 and 1967, to be allowed to put back on the table a position that it chose in 1947 to reject by seeking to annihilate the Jewish state."Meanwhile, the American Jewish Committee also expressed its disapproval over the General Assembly resolution condemning US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
"For those genuinely committed to achieving a negotiated, comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, today's UN General Assembly action is deeply disheartening," said AJC CEO David Harris."Once again, UN member states have chosen to succor Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's misguided strategy of internationalizing the conflict instead of pressing him to negotiate directly with Israel," Harris continued. "Collecting UN resolutions that do not advance peace one iota complicates an already complex conflict that direct negotiations can resolve."Also, Christians in Defense of Israel has launched a nationwide campaign to support President Donald Trump from international attacks and "bullies within our borders." They called on grassroots citizens to issue a strong “Vote Of Confidence" for the president, hoping to rally at least 25,000 signers and deliver the message to Trump and the State Department in early 2018.
