Political Quotes

“For 19 years, when Jordan occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, Jews could not visit the Western Wall or the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. They were denied access to places where, for 2,000 years, they have continuously made a personal connection to their faith and their history. It is impossible to separate Jewish identity from the Western Wall or the Western Wall from its Jewish identity or Jerusalem from the Jewish State of Israel, yet this is exactly what has been happening in the United Nations for years and exactly what Security Council Resolution 2334 sought to do. In addition, the resolution overwhelmingly assigns blame to Israel, while avoiding direct criticism of Palestinian incitement and violence. That is why, last month, I strongly urged President Obama to veto the resolution. The U.S. has and must continue to seek a sustainable two-state solution with a democratic, Jewish State of Israel and a demilitarized democratic Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security. But the only path to two states is through direct negotiations by the two parties. Efforts to force a solution at the U.N. or internationalize the issues are misguided and risk moving peace further away. As an original cosponsor, I call on my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 11.”