Ellison Applauds Obama, Resumption of Peace Talks

Statement

Congressman Keith Ellison (DFL-Minneapolis) released the following statement regarding the renewed Middle-East peace talks:

I applaud President Obama for bringing together the leaders of Israel, Palestinians, Jordan and Egypt to renew direct peace negotiations on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We know all too well that the path to peace will be difficult and will require hard compromise. However, progress requires negotiation.

We know that opponents of peace are willing to commit abhorrent acts of violence to undermine these talks, as we have seen with the recent killing of four Israelis'. Palestinian armed groups, like Hamas, must abandon violence. Killing innocents is never acceptable and I continue to condemn these violent acts. Additionally, Israel must cease settlement expansions that threaten the viability of a two-state solution. I support continuation of the current moratorium on settlement expansion.

As Americans, we cannot allow these challenges to deter our belief that a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians is possible. Today's meeting alone may not accomplish all that needs to be done, but it is a significant step forward for Middle East peace.

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