Nonaligned Nations Pressure Israel

The Nonaligned Movement called on its 113 member states Tuesday to freeze ties with Israel at existing levels in hopes of forcing an end to Israel’s settlement program and restarting Middle East peace talks.

The declaration was issued after the group called for an emergency session of the U.N. General Assembly to demand that Israel stop work on a Jewish settlement in historically Arab East Jerusalem.

The United States used its Security Council veto twice last month to block resolutions calling on Israel to abandon work on the East Jerusalem settlement, which involves building 6,500 new housing units. There is no veto in the General Assembly.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amir Moussa said his country was willing to mediate to break the Middle East deadlock if Israel stops building new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The NAM statement called on member states to “use all available measures to ensure Israel’s compliance with the terms of reference of the Madrid Conference and the land-for-peace principle and its full implementation of all agreements, undertakings and commitments reached by the concerned parties on all tracks during the peace talks.”