U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATEOffice of the Spokesman

In a November 14 statement, State Department Deputy Spokesman J. Adam Ereli praised the passage of a U.S. -- Israeli U.N. General Assembly resolution providing assistance to Palestinian refugees. The passage of this resolution is the first such measure ever introduced by the United States.

The vote represents an important first step towards identifying common ground on which Arabs, Israelis and the rest of the General Assembly membership can agree.

Statement follows:

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For Immediate Release November 14, 2003
2003/1171

Successful Cooperation on UN Middle East Resolution

On November 14, 109 countries voted for a U.S.-initiated United Nations General Assembly resolution providing assistance to Palestinian refugees. The passage of this resolution is the first such measure ever introduced by the United States, and notably was supported by Israel. This vote represents an important first step towards identifying common ground on which Arabs, Israelis and the rest of the General Assembly membership can agree.

The U.S. resolution addresses the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which works to ameliorate the plight of Palestinian refugees in the fields of education, health, and social services. The vote today shows that the UNRWA donors, led by the United States, can find a common basis for de-politicizing the mandate of this organization that provides vital humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people. The United States has always been the single largest donor to UNRWA, providing over $100 million for its programs last year alone.

We hope that the positive vote on the U.S.-sponsored resolution, as well as the rejection by many countries of unbalanced resolutions on the Middle East are the beginning of a necessary movement towards greater efficiency and accountability, and away from unproductive and harmful tactics.

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