Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick: “today we should be here to focus on what all sides involved in the Middle East have in common and what can be applied…”

“today we should be here to focus on what all sides involved in the Middle East have in common and what can be applied from our experience here in this country to achieving solutions to the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis. We should not be here to blame one side over the other, but to seek solutions leading to the peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. The struggle between the Israelis and the Palestinians is one of the most enduring and explosive of all the world's conflicts. For the Jewish people of Israel, the return to the land of their forefathers after centuries of persecution around the world has not brought peace or security. Israel has faced and continues to face crisis after crisis. Palestinians argue that over the last 54 years they have seen colonization, expulsion and military occupation in their difficult struggle for self-determination in a land they see as their God given land. This resolution is not balanced. At this time the Secretary of State and the Administration are working to bring peace to the Middle East. This resolution does not help this cause. This resolution damages our nation's moral authority and credibility as a fair broker in the Middle East conflict. I cannot support the resolution in its present form.”