WASHINGTON, D.C., January 22, 2011 (WAFA) – Americans for Peace Now (APN) vowed Saturday to fight plans by the US administration to veto a proposed Arab resolution to the UN Security Council condemning Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The Arab group submitted the draft resolution to the Security Council on Wednesday but voting is not expected for few more days. The resolution embraces negotiations, endorses the two-state solution, and condemns Israeli settlement activity.

APN called in a statement on supporters to write the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, urging her not to veto the resolution when it comes up for voting. It said Rice was a long-time friend and advisor to US President Barack Obama.

“The resolution is an important opportunity for the Obama administration to prove that America will not stand on the sidelines while the Israeli government continues to build settlements, thereby undermining the prospects for progress towards peace, fanning the flames of conflict, and laying the seeds for Israel’s destruction as a Jewish state and as a democracy,” said APN.

“President Obama is under heavy pressure to veto the resolution by those who want to shelter Israel from criticism at the UN,” it said. “An American veto might give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a political boost, but it would be blind to what Israel really needs: A peace process that can end the occupation and provide lasting security.”

APAN charged that Netanyahu’s settlement policy has not only caused damage to Israel’s own interests and was indifferent to the Obama Administration’s peace efforts, it has also “opened the floodgates,” including in very sensitive parts of East Jerusalem.

“It is not too late for the Israeli government to change course and to stop backing settlement activity,” it said. “Such a change is needed to ensure Israel’s security and viability as a Jewish state and as a democracy.  Passage of this resolution can help Israel’s leaders and public grasp this fundamental truth.”

APN warned that “for Obama to cave and to veto this resolution would run counter to four decades of US policy on settlements.  It would also contribute to the dangerously naive view that Israeli settlement policies do no lasting harm to Israel.”

M.A.