Jerry Moran: “this is a historically significant week for the United States and for all those who care about peace and stability in…”

“this is a historically significant week for the United States and for all those who care about peace and stability in the Middle East. As we know, it is a region that is already roiled by protests and war and faces the prospect now of even more tension, more uncertainty, and potentially more violence. We know this to be the case if the Palestinian Authority's President Abbas goes forward with his plan to seek recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations in New York. We have known for some time that this was coming and, thankfully, the U.S. Government has expressed opposition to this ill-conceived idea, and the administration plans to direct a veto of the measure. Our government has also worked to persuade other nations to join us in opposing the Palestinian statehood bid. But I am afraid we have not done enough to convince the Palestinians there will be consequences for their actions. By pursuing recognition of a state at the U.N., President Abbas is choosing confrontation rather than negotiations with Israel. In doing so, he is violating the Oslo peace agreements signed 18 years ago which state that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians must be solved through direct negotiations between the two parties. Direct negotiations are not just the best way to achieve peace, they are the only way to achieve lasting peace.…”