JLC Reaffirms Commitment to Two-State Solution to Israel-Palestine Conflict
May 8, 2015 - The following statement was issued today by Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Jewish Labor Committee:
We note with concern the new Israeli coalition government formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While we salute Israel's vigorous democracy, the closeness of the March 17 election results tells us how divided the country's electorate is on a variety of issues. It took a last-minute deal with an extreme-right political party, Jewish Home, for Prime Minister Netanyahu to create the new government with the right-wing and ultra-Orthodox bloc of parties. We hope that the Jewish Home party's agenda, opposing a two-state peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority, will not be the last word for Israel on this vital question.
Precisely at this time, the Jewish Labor Committee reaffirms our longstanding support for a negotiated two-state solution between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. We see the peaceful establishment of a viable, demilitarized Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel as the only practical course of action to insure Israel's long-term continuity as a sovereign, democratic Jewish state and to ensure a viable economic, political and social future for the Palestinians living on the West Bank and in Gaza. We call on all within Israel and the region, and their supporters around the world, to join us in supporting such a resolution to this unresolved conflict.