CMEP Bulletin: Verbal Salvos and a Long Shot for Peace at the United Nations
At UN, Abbas Calls on World Leaders to Recognize Palestinian State [Haaretz]
“Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called in an address to the United Nations Security Council Tuesday to convene an international conference by mid-2018 that would result in the recognition of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. … Abbas demanded that Israel halt settlement construction during any future negotiations, as well as during any other unilateral move that could have implications on a future peace deal. The American decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital should be frozen, he said. … Following Abbas’ remarks, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said that, while Washington is ready to speak to the Palestinian leadership, ‘we will not chase after you,’” according to Haaretz.
Trump Team Briefs Security Council on Mideast Peace Plan [The Jerusalem Post]
“Two sources familiar with the briefing tell The Jerusalem Post that Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law leading the diplomatic effort; Jason Greenblatt, his special representative for international negotiations; and Nikki Haley, US envoy to the UN, fielded questions from diplomats for roughly an hour after a public session of the council concluded. The briefing by senior Trump administration officials followed a speech to the council by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who asked UN members to come up with an international mechanism that would replace any US-led peace effort. Kushner, Greenblatt and Haley – who sat in attendance for Abbas’s speech – dismissed that proposal in the briefing, the sources said, noting that it would take perhaps a year to organize yet another conference on Middle East peace bound to fail. Instead they plan on rolling out their peace plan in short time, they added, while declining to specify their time frame,” according to The Jerusalem Post.
Evangelicals Deeply Concerned about U.S. Recognition of Jerusalem as Capital of Israel [Religion News Service]
A statement from American Christians, including CMEP Executive Director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, stating, “We, as Christians in the United States, dearly hope that our nation can play a constructive role in bringing about the reconciliation of these two peoples. We worry that our current administration’s actions will reduce the United States’ credibility as a peace broker and make the resumption of meaningful negotiations more difficult. However, we fervently maintain the hope that someday the Israeli and Palestinian peoples will be able to agree on the final status of Jerusalem. Given the rich heritage of this city and its spiritual significance to the Jews, Christians, and Muslims of the Holy Land, we hope that Jerusalem will be able to serve as the capital for both Israel and Palestine. Until that day, we urge our politicians and church leaders to exercise prudence and refrain from actions that imperil this future hope.”