Roskam on US leadership failure at UN on Palestinian statehood



The failures continue to mount for the Obama administration.

Peter Roskam (R-IL), the Chief Deputy Whip of the House, writes about another flop in the Daily Caller:

In the coming weeks the United Nations Security Council is expected to take a series of misguided procedural steps towards allowing the Palestinian Authority (PA) to unilaterally declare independence (UDI). If they happen they will mark a step backwards from any potentially genuine Middle East peace and illustrate yet another failure of the Obama Administration's "leading from behind" approach.

This did not have to be a foregone conclusion. This past May, Majority Leader Eric Cantor and I called on the Administration to stand united with the American people, and with Israel, opposing this UN action. The State Department has heard a similar chorus in the months since.

Yet the Administration refused to act for months – as Palestinians built UN support – finally pledging a "no" vote in September long after the die was cast. In fact, when the Security Council had their final open meeting prior to the UDI this past July, US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice reportedly did not even attend. While the summation of this failure is embarrassing for America, it’s far more disappointing and consequential for our strong ally Israel. Our allies should not have to be saddled with the residual failures of America leading from behind.

The disappointing reality is the Palestinian leadership unilaterally declaring "statehood" at the UN is another clear step away from peace. Just months ago, Hamas – a terrorist organization dedicated to the destruction of Israel – signed a reconciliation agreement paving the way to join the PA’s Unity Government.

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