October 25, 2015
Washington DC, USA, Melbourne, Australia … B’nai B’rith International and The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) have praised the bipartisan effort in the U.S Congress to publicly condemn the murderous wave of terror that has hit Israel in recent weeks, sending a letter to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, holding a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing Thursday on the Palestinian incitement against Israel and promoting House Resolution 293, which formally denounces anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incitement in the West Bank. Representatives Edward Royce (R-Calif.) and Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) are leading the charge, initiating a congressional letter to Abbas urging him to make sure “immediate action is taken to end incitement and bring the situation under control” and pointing out that “statements made by you, other political figures, clerics and official PA media have undoubtedly served to inflame the current situation.”
The letter from Congress concludes by encouraging Abbas to take the first step in curbing violence through a “sustained effort to publicly and officially repudiate these attacks, ending the unacceptable incitement to violence emanating from Palestinian Authority officials and institutions, continuing important security cooperation with Israel and agreeing to unconditionally renew direct talks with the Israelis.”
ADC Chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich and Dan Mariaschin, Executive Vice President of B’nai B’rith International issued the following statement:
“Efforts by politicians from both sides of the aisle to bring attention to this important issue are greatly appreciated by BBI the ADC and the entire Jewish community. Too often Israel is the victim of baseless attacks from governments and international bodies with a severely skewed view of the Middle East. Against this backdrop the role of the U.S. Congress in combating anti-Israel hatred is essential. We encourage additional members of congress to sign onto the letter, asking Abbas to take “concrete steps” to quell the surge in violence.”
For more information, please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on 03 9272-5677