Rand Paul: “I reluctantly must oppose this resolution. Though I am sure this resolution commending Israel for holding free elections…”

“I reluctantly must oppose this resolution. Though I am sure this resolution commending Israel for holding free elections was introduced with the best intentions, this legislation unfortunately goes further than a simple commendation. The legislation as written will only once again inject the United States into the decades-old and intractable conflict in the Middle East. By commending Israel while at the same time demanding that the Palestinians take specific actions, this legislation places the United States squarely in the middle of a conflict that has absolutely nothing to do with American interests. Also, the resolution states that the United States is committed to secure peace for Israel. We cannot afford nor are we constitutionally permitted to play referee in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and securing peace for any country but the United States is not the role of this body. We must resist the temptation to meddle in the affairs of far-away nations no matter how good our intentions may be. If we are to keep our Constitutional republic we must uphold the wise counsel of those who crafted our founding set of laws. Thomas Jefferson summed up the foreign policy position we must uphold in his 1801 inaugural address: "People, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations--entangling alliances with none." How many champion Jefferson and the Constitution, but conveniently ignore both when it comes to American foreign policy?”