AJC Statement on the "New York Declaration"

Last week at the UN, 17 countries, the Arab League, and the entire European Union, signed on to the "New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution." 

Many elements of the Declaration, including reliance on the terror-compromised UNRWA mechanism for aid delivery, politicized actions of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), references to the nonexistent “Right of Return,” and the fact that the Declaration calls for internationally imposed conditions rather than direct negotiations between the two parties, are one-sided and unacceptable.

However, American Jewish Committee (AJC) recognizes that the Declaration marked a significant shift in Arab statements on Hamas, and the acceptance of Israel into a wider regional framework. For the first time, the entire 22-member Arab League condemned Hamas for its atrocities on October 7. It said that Hamas must end its rule in Gaza, free all hostages, and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority. 

With Hamas, which still holds 50 hostages in brutal captivity, militarily weakened after 22 months of war and now delegitimized by leaders across the Arab world, there is an opportunity for Israel, the United States, European and other allies, and regional partners to work together and increase pressure on the terrorists that started this war. Through greater cooperation, there is an opening to shape a new political and security framework for the region.

It is an opportunity that AJC urges pragmatic leaders to seize. We call on Arab leaders and other signatories of the July 30th Declaration to follow their bold denunciation of Hamas with tangible action: propounding to their respective constituencies, through every appropriate medium, the message that Hamas is the enemy, not the champion, of Palestinian progress and of a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org. 

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