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The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches, meeting in Geneva from 16 to 22 February 2011, expresses its deep concern and disappointment that the United States of America vetoed a Resolution at the UN Security Council, on 18th February 2011, condemning Israeli settlements in the Palestinian Territories as an obstacle to peace.

The member churches of WCC, while acknowledging the right of the State of Israel to exist in security within internationally recognized borders, point out that the settlement policy of the State of Israel violates international law and obstructs the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians with unforeseeable consequences for peace and stability in the whole Middle East.

The WCC Central Committee notes, on the other hand, that the support in favour of the Resolution was overwhelming as 14 out of 15 members of the UN Security Council have voted in favor of the Resolution, and some 130 countries co-sponsored the Resolution.

Referring to the Cairo-speech of President Barak Obama, which raised high expectations for a just peace in the Middle East, the WCC Central Committee considers that the US veto against the Resolution contradicts the statement by the US President, that “The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. [...] This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop."

The WCC Central Committee believes that the unilateral decision of the USA to veto the Resolution is a deeply regrettable mistake and the Central Committee calls upon the government of the USA, along with the other nations of the Security Council and the United Nations, to intensify efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in the region with respect to law and justice.

APPROVED