On September 22, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress held a press conference on the UN vote about the Palestinian state in the Moscow Independent Press Center. Speaking at the press conference, EAJC Secretary General Michael Chlenov voiced the position of the Congress about the unilateral proclamation of the Palestinian state by the Palestinians, and of the possible vote on acknowledging these states at the UN General Assembly. This position was clearly pronounced in the Congress statement, which stresses that “unilateral actions, which are unambiguously excluded by these legal documents, will make the entire preceding peace process meaningless, moving it backward to far beyond its starting point.”

The EAJC Secretary General commented on the statement, showing special concern with the negative consequences that the one-sided proclamation of Palestinian statehood might have for stability of the Near East. As Chlenov stressed: “The EAJC believes that a strong peace is only possible in case of a mutually acceptable agreement that takes into account the interests of both sides.”

Chlenov spoke separately on Russian-speaking Israelis. According to the EAJC Secretary General, “Today, nearly every single one of the thousands of Russian Jews has relatives in Israel. And not only the Jews – many Russians of different nationalities have friends and family in the Jewish state. A possible aggravation of the situation with Israel will obviously hurt the safety of these people.”

The EAJC Secretary General also spoke about the Congress' efforts to convince the authorities of the countries whose Jewish communities it unites to work against the untilateral proclamation of the Palestinian state. He spoke about his exchange of opinions with Russian Federation Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at the August meeting of the PM with representatives of religious and national communities. He also spoke about the meetings of the EAKC leadership with the representatives of ministries of foreign affairs of Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, and Georgia, of the many letters that were sent through EAJC initiative by community leaders of the region to the governments of their states. Both the meetings and the letters expressed the united position of the Jewish community and called to not support the one-sided actions of the Palestinian side.

The political writer, member of the Presidium of the Jewish community of Berlin Sergei Lagodinsky, who took part in the press conference, spoke about the position of the German authorities on the subject, as well as of the efforts of the German communities.

At the end of the press conference, Chlenov stressed that “The EAJC, the Jewish community has its own position. It might not be accepted, but it is very important for us that it be heard and considered.”