NCJW Expresses Hope for Progress After Peace Talks

November 27, 2007, Washington, DC -- The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) today expressed its fervent hope that the Annapolis meeting will serve as the beginning of a new round of peace talks that would bring Israel and the region the peace and security so desperately needed. NCJW President Phyllis Snyder released the following statement:

"Sixty years ago on November 29, the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 181 calling for the partition of Palestine into a Jewish state, an Arab state, and a UN-controlled territory around Jerusalem. This resolution, celebrated by Jews at the time, turned out to be only the beginning of a long struggle in the region to achieve peace, security, and justice for all its inhabitants. NCJW shares the frustration of most of the world that 60 years later we are still striving for peace.

"The Annapolis peace talks are the latest chapter in that struggle, and NCJW is heartened by the willingness of Israel and many of its Arab neighbors to come together. The renewed US commitment to assist the parties to achieve 'a democratic Palestinian state that will live side by side with Israel in peace and security' is also welcome and essential. After years of stalemate, Annapolis gives us hope that a new round of negotiations will lead to peaceful co-existence within Israel and between Israel and its neighbors. NCJW urges the participants to work diligently toward this end."

NCJW is a volunteer organization, inspired by Jewish values, that works to improve the quality of life for women, children, and families and to ensure individual rights and freedoms for all through its network of 90,000 members, supporters, and volunteers nationwide.

Contact:
Emily Alfano
202 296 2588 x5; emily@ncjwdc.org