[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 169 (Saturday, December 18, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2193]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SUPPORTING A NEGOTIATED SOLUTION TO THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 15, 2010

  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, no country has done more than the United 
States to advance the cause of Palestinian statehood.
  We have done so in recognition of Palestinian aspirations for a 
brighter and more stable future as well as Israel's desire for a secure 
and peaceful coexistence with its neighbors.
  As one of the largest grantors of Palestinian aid, we have worked to 
ensure that a future Palestinian state has the political, economic and 
social infrastructure to support a stable functioning democracy.
  But our efforts have been predicated on the Palestinians' own 
internationally-witnessed commitments to seek a negotiated solution to 
achieve a two-state peace agreement. These commitments served at the 
core of the 1991 Madrid conference, and were codified in the 1993 Oslo 
Accords, the 2003 Roadmap for Peace, the 2007 Annapolis declaration, 
two UN Security Council resolutions sponsored by the Bush 
Administration in 2002 and 2008, and reaffirmed at the 2010 summit 
brokered by President Obama.
  It is only through direct negotiations that the parties can resolve 
the core issues of borders, water, refugees, Jerusalem, and the 
security arrangements and produce an agreement that ends the conflict 
and sustains a viable independent Palestinian state.
  For all who complain that Israeli settlement construction is the 
primary obstacle to the peace talks, the reality is that Israeli 
leaders have time and again shown bold leadership to make difficult 
concessions on this issue and others for the sake of peace. The Israeli 
government's recent 10-month settlement moratorium and its serious 
consideration of a further extension are proof that settlements are not 
the stumbling block keeping us from direct talks.
  Rather, it is the Palestinian leadership's unwillingness to make 
tough choices that has sidelined the process. And if anything, a 
unilateral drive to statehood is chilling evidence.
  A strategy to bypass the negotiations process and unilaterally 
declare Palestinian statehood will turn the clock backward, not 
forward. It is a reckless tactic that threatens to intensify the 
conflict and alienate the United States, which by law would be 
prohibited from providing aid to an independent Palestinian State that 
does not, among other conditions, have a full and normal relationship 
with Israel.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and call on others in 
the international community to pressure the Palestinian leadership to 
demonstrate their dedication to achieving statehood by returning to the 
negotiating table.

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