[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13878-13879]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        PALESTINIAN U.N. REQUEST

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I take this time to bring to the attention 
of my colleagues activities that will take place this week in New York 
at the United Nations and the request that has been made by the 
Palestinians that they seek status as an independent state with full 
membership in the United Nations.
  It is clearly the position of the United States, it is clearly I 
think the position of the international community, that there needs to 
be two states, a Jewish State of Israel along with an independent 
Palestinian State, living side by side in peace. But the only way that 
will take place is through direct negotiations between the Palestinians 
and the Israelis. Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of 
Israel, was here in Washington and spoke before a joint session of 
Congress. He laid out very clearly how peace in the Middle East needs 
to evolve, through the recognition by the international community of 
the Jewish State of Israel and an independent Palestinian State through 
direct negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
  Israel has been one of our strongest allies. They have been a loyal 
ally to the United States. We share common values. It is strategically 
critical to the United States, particularly in that part of the world. 
It is clear to all that the only way we will achieve the two states 
will be through direct negotiations between the Palestinians and the 
Israelis. The Palestinians have been reluctant to have these direct 
negotiations and tried to use intermediaries. They need to do it 
directly. Sit down with the Israelis. Negotiate the issues. That is the 
way to move forward to accomplish their goal.
  The action they are seeking in the United Nations will be 
counterproductive. We have gone on record, every single one of us in 
the Senate of the United States, in S. Res. 185, a resolution I brought 
forward with my colleague from Maine, Senator Collins. It was passed 
unanimously by the Senate. It stated very clearly that if the 
Palestinians were to pursue this unilateral action through the United 
Nations, that would not advance the peace process, that it would be 
counterproductive to the objectives of the Palestinians to establish an 
independent state.
  This past week, Senator Collins and I sent a letter to President 
Abbas, the President of the Palestinian group. We told him that we 
believed trying to go directly to the United Nations, circumventing the 
peace process, would be a lack of good faith in peace negotiations and 
that it would have repercussions on United States foreign policy.
  What we have been told by the Palestinians is they will seek full 
membership as a state in the United Nations, going to the Security 
Council. That is not going to succeed. We hope the Security Council 
will recognize the inappropriateness of such action and will not take 
it up or will not provide the necessary support to forward it to the 
General Assembly. In the unlikely case that it were to get the 
necessary support in the Security Council, the United States has made 
it clear that it would veto any such action, for good reason--because 
it would be counterproductive to achieving the objectives of two states 
living side by side in peace.
  The Palestinians may go to the General Assembly. Although they cannot 
get full membership, they could try to advance a resolution within the 
General Assembly in the United Nations. We know the numbers. We know 
what could happen. But I must tell you, seeking some form of 
recognition through the General Assembly, circumventing the peace 
process and the Security Council, will be harmful to advancing the 
peace process and the objectives of the Palestinians for an independent 
state.
  Let the parties negotiate directly, in good faith. Israel has 
indicated they are prepared to do that. We have been prepared to do 
that--negotiate in good faith through direct negotiations. There are no 
shortcuts to achieving this. Moving through the United Nations will not 
achieve those objectives.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.

[[Page 13879]]

  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The junior Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. HELLER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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