To the Editor,
> Sep 23, 2011
Ottawa, ON – Shimon Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, released the following statement today:
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> "For more than four decades, the international community has endorsed only one path to Middle East peace, based on many years of binding UN resolutions and signed agreements. This framework requires direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians as the sole way to resolve the conflict, through a peace accord based on two states for two peoples. Every Canadian government since 1967, regardless of political party, has supported this international consensus.
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> "The current Palestinian bid at the UN rejects this blueprint entirely, by unilaterally attempting to create a state of Palestine without peace with Israel. We are pleased that Canada has taken a principled stand with President Obama in opposing this initiative on the basis that it will create neither peace nor a Palestinian state.
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> "Here in Canada, we are also encouraged that a cross-party consensus has developed calling for a return to bilateral talks as the only way forward. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs strongly supports this position, and urges the Palestinian leadership to accept Israel’s offer to begin negotiations today without precondition."
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> The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is the voice of the organized Jewish and pro-Israel communities in Canada, including for those issues formerly handled by the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canada-Israel Committee, and the Quebec-Israel Committee.
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> For more information, contact:
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> Steve McDonald
> Associate Director, Communications
> The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs
> 416-953-4417
>