JFNA Briefing:  The Jewish Federations of North America Respond to UN Bid for Unilateral Palestinian Statehood 
Sept. 20, 2011

NEW YORK – In response to the Palestinian Authority’s unilateral bid for statehood today at the United Nations, Kathy Manning, Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Jerry Silverman, President & CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America released the following statement:

“The decision by President Abbas to seek a unilateral declaration by the United Nations threatens both the stability of the Middle East and the progress of the peace process. Instead of acting unilaterally, Abbas should heed the invitation of Prime Minister Netanyahu to return immediately to the negotiating table with haste and without precondition. 

“To that end, the Jewish Federations’ Israel Action Network has mobilized the North America Jewish community by collecting over 100,000 signatures in support of bilateral negotiations.  It is our firm belief that the goal of two democratic nations, living side-by-side in peace, can only be achieved by Israelis and Palestinians communicating directly, rather than by engaging in diplomatic tactics that simply serve to move the region further away from attaining real peace.”