New York, NY, August 30, 2011 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today called on the foreign ministers of the 27 nations of the European Union and Baroness Catherine Ashton, E.U. High Representative for Foreign Affairs, to advocate for a "zero-tolerance policy" against unilateral Palestinian actions, such as the campaign to upgrade the Palestinian representation at the United Nations to that of either a member state or an observer state.  The foreign ministers are scheduled to discuss this issue during their meeting in Sopot, Poland later this week.

In a letter to each of the foreign ministers sent through their respective embassies in Washington, D.C., the League urged the E.U. leaders to reject such counterproductive Palestinian actions.

"We firmly believe that the conferral of either a member state or observer state status at the U.N. will be detrimental to the search for peace between Israel and the Palestinians," said Robert G. Sugarman, ADL National Chair, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, who also referred to the E.U.'s longstanding support for "direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians as the path to a resolution of the conflict and the establishment of a Palestinian state."

Citing "numerous and serious obstacles to a resumption of negotiations that would be created by any manner of U.N. acceptance of Palestinian statehood," the League's letter called on the E.U. foreign ministers to support only one course of action by the Palestinian Authority: a resumption of negotiations.  "We urge your government and the European Union to adopt such a zero-tolerance policy for any Palestinian diplomatic initiatives other than resuming negotiations," wrote Messrs. Sugarman and Foxman.