NEW YORK: Henry Siegman, a former head of the American Jewish Congress, has urged US President Barack Obama to push the United Nations Security Council to seek an end to the Israeli occupation and pave the way for Palestinian statehood.

In an op-ed article in the New York Times on Wednesday, he wrote: “The victory of Israel’s far right has provided an unexpected, if narrow, opening for Mr Obama, allowing him to call for a reassessment of America’s peace policy.”

“United States government has never made an unconditional commitment to Israel to block a Security Council role in bringing about a two-state peace accord.”

Mr Siegman argued that Washington had “committed to blocking a Security Council role only so long as there is a reasonable prospect that the parties might reach such an accord on their own. That prospect no longer exists”.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2015

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