WASHINGTON (JTA) — An Orthodox group is urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reject calls for a Palestinian state.
In a letter to the new Israeli leader, National Council of Young Israel President Shlomo Mostofsky and Executive Vice President Rabbi Pesach Lerner wrote, "We believe that an independent Palestinian state would merely compound the complex problems that currently exist and open the door to a new wave of acts of terror directed at innocent Israeli civilians."
The missive also urges Netanyahu to "remain steadfast" in his position that Jerusalem remains the undivided capital of Israel, and hopes he will do everything possible to bring home kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. They also ask President Obama to commute Jonathan Pollard’s prison sentence.
