Palestinian Statehood

Floor Speech

* Mr. HIMES. Mr. Speaker, today, we expect that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will apply for member status before the United Nations. This unilateral action is likely to complicate U.S. peace efforts. It also rejects the essential principle of solving the conflict through direct negotiations with Israel.

* History has taught us that a just and lasting peace must be negotiated. It cannot be imposed from the outside, lest it be built on an unstable and temporary foundation.

* The creation of a viable, autonomous and peaceful Palestinian state is essential, not only to address the aspirations of the Palestinian people, but also to ensure Israel's security in the region. A two-state solution is the only answer for sustainable peace, and while the negotiations to achieve that goal have suffered setbacks, that must be the objective.

* During a speech on Middle East policy at the U.S. State Department on May 19, 2011, President Obama stated, ``For the Palestinians, efforts to delegitimize Israel will end in failure. Symbolic actions to isolate Israel at the United Nations in September won't create an independent state. Palestinian leaders will not achieve peace or prosperity if Hamas insists on a path of terror and rejection. And Palestinians will never realize their independence by denying the right of Israel to exist.'' I agree with these sentiments.

Source