IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 11 

Objecting to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 as an obstacle 

to Israeli-Palestinian peace, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 3, 2017 

Mr. ROYCE of California (for himself, Mr. ENGEL, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. GRAVES of Missouri, Ms. SINEMA, 

Mr. HUDSON, Miss RICE of New York, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, Mr. PERRY, 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. NUNES, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. SMITH

of New Jersey, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. ZELDIN, Ms. MENG, Mr. YOHO, Ms. 

FRANKEL of Florida, Mr. CHABOT, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. 

DUNCAN of South Carolina, Mr. SIRES, Mr. POE of Texas, Mr. BRENDAN

F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. YODER, Mr. BANKS of Indiana, Mr. 

MOOLENAAR, Mr. LUETKEMEYER, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. HILL, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Mr. MARINO, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. NADLER, Mr. 

SOTO, Mr. KILMER, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. 

CARTER of Texas, Mr. NORCROSS, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. 

MARCHANT, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mrs. HARTZLER, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. 

STEWART, Mr. GALLAGHER, Mr. ABRAHAM, Mr. DUNN, and Mr. 

NEWHOUSE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Objecting to United Nations Security Council Resolution 

2334 as an obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peace, and 

for other purposes. 

Whereas the United States has long supported a negotiated 

settlement leading to a sustainable two-state solution 

with the democratic, Jewish state of Israel and a demiliVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:14 Jan 04, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR11.IH HR11

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tarized, democratic Palestinian state living side-by-side in 

peace and security; 

Whereas since 1993, the United States has facilitated direct, 

bilateral negotiations between both parties toward achieving a two-state solution and ending all outstanding 

claims; 

Whereas it is the long-standing policy of the United States 

that a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will only come through direct, bilateral negotiations 

between the two parties; 

Whereas it is the long-standing position of the United States 

to oppose and, if necessary, veto United Nations Security 

Council resolutions dictating additional binding parameters on the peace process; 

Whereas it is the long-standing position of the United States 

to oppose and, if necessary, veto one-sided or anti-Israel 

resolutions at the United Nations Security Council; 

Whereas the United States has stood in the minority internationally over successive Administrations in defending 

Israel in international forums, including vetoing one-sided 

resolutions in 2011, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 

1997, and 1995 before the United Nations Security 

Council; 

Whereas the United States recently signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Israel 

regarding security assistance, consistent with longstanding support for Israel among successive Administrations and congresses and representing an important 

United States commitment toward Israel’s qualitative 

military edge; 


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Whereas on November 29, 2016, the House of Representatives unanimously passed House Concurrent Resolution 

165, expressing the sense of Congress and reaffirming 

longstanding United States policy in support of a direct 

bilaterally negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian 

conflict and opposition to United Nations Security Council resolutions imposing a solution to the conflict; 

Whereas on December 23, 2016, the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations disregarded 

House Concurrent Resolution 165 and departed from 

longstanding United States policy by abstaining and permitting United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 

to be adopted under Chapter VI of the United Nations 

Charter; 

Whereas the United States’ abstention on United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 contradicts the Oslo Accords and its associated process that is predicated on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict between the parties 

through direct negotiations; 

Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 

claims that ‘‘the establishment by Israel of settlements in 

the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including 

East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a 

flagrant violation under international law and a major 

obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and 

a just, lasting and comprehensive peace’’; 

Whereas by referring to the ‘‘4 June 1967 lines’’ as the basis 

for negotiations, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 effectively states that the Jewish Quarter of 

the Old City of Jerusalem and the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, are ‘‘occupied territory’’ thereby equatVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:14 Jan 04, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR11.IH HR11

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ing these sites with outposts in the West Bank that the 

Israeli government has deemed illegal; 

Whereas passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 effectively lends legitimacy to efforts by the 

Palestinian Authority to impose its own solution through 

international organizations and through unjustified boycotts or divestment campaigns against Israel by calling 

‘‘upon all States, bearing in mind paragraph 1 of this 

resolution, to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967’’, and will require the United 

States and Israel to take effective action to counteract 

the potential harmful impact of United Nations Security 

Council Resolution 2334; 

Whereas UNSCR 2334 did not directly call upon Palestinian 

leadership to fulfill their obligations toward negotiations 

or mention that part of the eventual Palestinian state is 

currently controlled by Hamas, a designated terrorist organization; and 

Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 

both sought to impose or unduly influence solutions to 

final status issues, and is biased against Israel: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That — 

2 (1) it is the sense of the House of Representa3 tives that— 

4 (A) the passage of United Nations Security 

5 Council Resolution 2334 undermined the long6 standing position of the United States to op7 pose and veto United Nations Security Council 


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1 resolutions that seek to impose solutions to 

2 final status issues, or are one-sided and anti3 Israel, reversing decades of bipartisan agree4 ment; 

5 (B) the passage of United Nations Secu6 rity Council Resolution 2334 undermines the 

7 prospect of Israelis and Palestinians resuming 

8 productive, direct negotiations; 

9 (C) the passage of United Nations Security 

10 Council Resolution 2334 contributes to the po11 litically motivated acts of boycott, divestment 

12 from, and sanctions against Israel and rep13 resents a concerted effort to extract concessions 

14 from Israel outside of direct negotiations be15 tween the Israelis and Palestinians, which must 

16 be actively rejected; 

17 (D) any future measures taken in inter18 national or outside organizations, including the 

19 United Nations Security Council or at the Paris 

20 conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 

21 scheduled for January 15, 2017, to impose an 

22 agreement, or parameters for an agreement in23 cluding the recognition of a Palestinian state, 

24 will set back the cause of peace, harm the secu25 rity of Israel, run counter to the enduring biVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:14 Jan 04, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR11.IH HR11

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1 partisan consensus on strengthening the United 

2 States-Israel relationship, and weaken support 

3 for such organizations; 

4 (E) a durable and sustainable peace agree5 ment between Israel and the Palestinians will 

6 come only through direct bilateral negotiations 

7 between the parties resulting in a Jewish, 

8 democratic state living side-by-side next to a de9 militarized Palestinian state in peace and secu10 rity; 

11 (F) the United States should work to fa12 cilitate serious, direct negotiations between the 

13 parties without preconditions toward a sustain14 able peace agreement; and 

15 (G) the United States Government should 

16 oppose and veto future United Nations Security 

17 Council resolutions that seek to impose solu18 tions to final status issues, or are one-sided and 

19 anti-Israel; and 

20 (2) the House of Representatives opposes 

21 United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 

22 and will work to strengthen the United States-Israel 

23 relationship, and calls for United Nations Security 

24 Council Resolution 2334 to be repealed or fun25 damentally altered so that— 


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1 (A) it is no longer one-sided and anti2 Israel; and 

3 (B) it allows all final status issues toward 

4 a two-state solution to be resolved through di5 rect bilateral negotiations between the parties. 

Æ 


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