I continue to be  deeply disappointed with the Barack Obama administration’s stance toward the Palestinian statehood. Israel continues to illegally expand settlements, in defiance of U.S.-Obama’s position.

Billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars go to Israel despite that defiance. Members of Congress threatened to cut off aid to Palestine in retaliation for their legal plea to the U.N. for statehood.

The  Benjamin Netanyahu government refuses  to stop settlement expansion.  Obama tried for two years  to solve this and got nowhere.

Why would Obama oppose the non-violent efforts of a legitimate governmental body that has the authority to act on such matters? I’m sure that Obama realizes that the United Nations gave Israel the statehood that Palestinians seek, and the U.S. supports.

Direct negotiations between those unequal parties haven’t worked in 44 years and won’t now without U.N. intervention. Sadly, election politics and political pressure seem to affect Obama’s stance on this critical issue related to peace, human rights and fairness.

The U.S. has lost its ability to act as an honest broker on the issue. The U.S. needs to  let the  nations of the world, through the U.N.,  democratically decide the fate of Palestinian statehood. That does not threaten Israel’s security, only its expansionist impulses.

A Palestinian state, with defined borders, will be good for Israel, the United States and the world.

It is  now clear that only the United Nations has the actual and moral authority to move the matter forward in a positive, peaceful direction.

Edward Ferreira, New Sharon