Palestinian Arabs. Photo: PSP Photos.

Later today the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York will send a petition to UN Secretary General Ban-Ki moon signed by 110,000 Americans that voices its displeasure with today’s Palestinian UN status upgrade attempt. The signatures were gathered over a 14-month period, and were mostly the result of social media efforts and word-of-mouth. It reads in part:

“We collectively view this unilateral move as counterproductive and, rather, call for the immediate resumption of direct
negotiations between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

“We are of the belief, as reaffirmed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his May 24, 2011 speech to the
United States Congress, that a central goal of direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians is the establishment of two states for two peoples – a Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state in secure and recognized borders. A unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state would serve only to undermine a lasting and negotiated peace agreement and deepen the conflict.”

Michael Miller, CEO of the council, told The Algemeiner: “We believe that the petition–which is very thick, considering all the names in it–will merit a response from the Secretary General. The Secretary General, I don’t believe, has the power to alter a decision made by the General Assembly, but certainly we want the Secretary General to understand that well over 100,000 Americans stand on the side of justice and good reason; and that steps taken toward the resolution of this conflict cannot be steps taken by only one side and but must be arrived at through negotiations between both parties.”