As part of a nationwide effort, Jewish Federation of St. Louis and the Jewish Community Relations Council joined with the Israel Action Network (IAN) and their counterparts in North America and gathered hundreds of thousands of supporters to sign a petition to oppose the unilateral bid at the United Nations for Palestinian statehood (UDI). 

Jewish Federation of St. Louis President and CEO Barry Rosenberg said while U.N. recognition of an Independent Palestinian State would “change nothing on the ground, it will intensify the pressures against Israel.”

“The Palestinian quest for statehood through UDI seems more a pretext to continue the conflict with Israel than an effort to end it,” said Batya Abramson-Goldstein, Jewish Community Relations Council Executive Director. “Unilaterally declaring independence without including the principles of mutual recognition and renouncing violence is an attempt to sidestep the responsibilities of becoming a responsible member of the family of nations and a genuine partner for peace.”  


The petition effort was launched earlier this summer by IAN, an initiative of the Jewish Federations of North America, in partnership with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, together with the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY). The petition was delivered to the office of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday, Sept. 20.