Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today to address the Palestinian efforts to gain statehood at the United Nations, which is occurring this week. As most of us are aware, Palestinian Authority President Abbas has signaled that he intends to ask the United Nations for acceptance as a full member state. Several of my colleagues--and I might add from both sides of the aisle--have expressed grave concern over this Palestinian initiative. President Obama has indicated if this initiative is brought to a vote before the Security Council, the United States plans to veto it. I support that. However, even if the veto occurs, President Abbas may then choose to ask the General Assembly to upgrade Palestinian status to that of a nonvoting observer state. If allowed to become a nonvoting observer state, Palestinians could then participate on U.N. committees and bring allegations against Israel to the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice. Recognizing a Palestinian state in this manner could also lead to further isolation of Israel within the Middle East. These are outcomes we simply cannot tolerate. Israel, beyond any shadow of a doubt, is a stalwart friend and ally of the United States. They share our core values as a nation. They are a thriving democracy in a part of the world where democracies are very hard to find. And importantly, they stand strong with us in the battle against international terrorism.…”