[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 23, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ``BE ABOUT PEACE DAY''

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                          HON. DONALD M. PAYNE

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 23, 2010

  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise to commend my constituents in South 
Mountain Peace Action of Maplewood and South Orange, NJ. These citizens 
work in their community on behalf of peace and they hold an annual all-
day event called ``Be About Peace Day'' that attracts hundreds of 
children and parents. Currently, South Mountain Peace Action is 
organizing a public forum called ``Israeli-Palestinian Peace: The 
Obama-Clinton Program for a Two-State Solution and How We Can Support 
It'' that will be held on March 24, 2010, at Maplewood Memorial 
Library. The meeting will enable residents to increase their 
understanding of the issues and to learn how to get involved themselves 
in the peace process.
  There is no greater cause than peace and there is no issue more 
important for achieving peace than resolving the Israeli-Palestinian 
conflict. In February, I visited Israel and the Palestinian Territory 
as part of a congressional delegation and met with leaders of 
government and civil society to assess the state of American efforts to 
end the region's conflicts.
  We learned much on the trip--seeing first-hand the urgency shared 
across the region to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a 
two-state solution. We met the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, the 
Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah and civil 
society leaders across the region. In Israel, we heard from settlers 
and human rights activists. Over and over again, we heard about the 
importance of American leadership in efforts to end the conflict 
diplomatically. It is why I am encouraged by groups like South Mountain 
Peace Action, who are supporting the peace process at the grassroots 
level.

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