H. RES. 268

Floor Speech

* Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I emphatically agree that a negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the only viable path forward for the parties and for those in the international community and region who seek peace and stability in this contentious area of our world.

* I want to be clear: unilateral actions by the Palestinians or Israelis, including seeking recognition at the U.N., are not helpful to the peace process. It seems to me that there have not been many successful unilateral acts undertaken in this region that have resulted in more peace and less violence. Why would anyone want to go down that road again?

* Limiting this resolution to the sentiment expressed in bullet number one of the resolution that reaffirms Congress' ``strong support for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting in two states, a democratic, Jewish state of Israel and a viable, democratic Palestinian state, living side-by-side in peace, security, and mutual recognition'' would have won my enthusiastic and full-hearted support.

* It was the presence of this language that kept me from voting no on this resolution. I again reiterate my condemnation of this House continuing to bring resolutions that only seem to relitigate every wrong committed by one party to this conflict. Whatever happened to the grandiose ideal that the United States of America would be an ``honest broker'' in this process?

* The fact is that both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have tough choices ahead of them that will affect the pursuit of peace in the Middle East. As I stated in a letter to President Obama last year in support of strong U.S. engagement in renewed Middle East Peace talks, allowing actions by either party that undermine the process to go unchallenged serves to fan animosity and mistrust, which feeds a cycle of conflict and violence. This neither serves the interests of the U.S., our ally Israel, nor the Palestinians.

* We must avoid ending up in a situation like Canada reportedly faced last year when it cut funding for activities of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees only to have the government of Israel, among others, push for a reversal of that decision. It's an example of an action that looks ``pro-Israel'' on the politics, but failed the more important test of whether it actually advanced or hindered the interests of our allies in the region.

* The Palestinian people don't want symbolic statehood, they want an actual state with borders and the ability to enjoy a livelihood in peace and security. The same for the Israeli people. They want real security and real peace. Both peoples would gladly trade resolutions from the U.S. Congress for real progress on the ground.

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