[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 48 (Thursday, March 25, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H2442]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  ISRAEL AND PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

  (Mr. MAFFEI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MAFFEI. Mr. Speaker, I rise after the recent public statements 
made by Vice President Biden and Secretary Clinton on the subject of 
new Israeli housing in east Jerusalem.
  While it is important for our country to play a mediating role in the 
Middle East peace process, it is also important that any disagreements 
be dealt with as friends would deal with disagreements, behind the 
scenes first and working them out in private before they are aired in 
public.
  The President and this administration clearly care deeply about peace 
in the Middle East and made it a priority for our country to play an 
active role in these negotiations, and I applaud the emphasis. However, 
using these tactics, which distance us from a long-time ally, doesn't 
serve the purpose of furthering these peace negotiations.
  When two allies with such a strategically close relationship as 
Israel and the United States air their disagreements in public, 
whatever those disagreements are, it puts all parties in an awkward 
position, including the Palestinian leaders who do want to engage in a 
peace process with Israel.
  I think airing these disagreements in public was a setback to the 
peace process. Instead, as we go forward, we should draw on the special 
relationship that endures between the United States and Israel to move 
forward.

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