U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, made the following statement regarding reports that the Obama administration may go to the U.N. Security Council to pressure Israel on the peace talks outside of direct negotiations. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:
"The reason for the lack of progress on a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians is because of the destructive actions of the Palestinian Authority that have undermined the peace process. For over two decades now, the U.S., Israel, the Europeans and others have tried to negotiate a peaceful settlement with the Palestinian leadership, only to get rebuffed at every single turn. Abu Mazen is now in his tenth year of a 5 year term as the leader of the Palestinian Authority, and in that time it has been his intransigence and unwillingness to recognize Israel's right to exist in peace as the Jewish State that has prevented progress towards a mutually agreeable resolution.
"Instead of threatening our closest ally with sanctions or suggesting that we will support the Palestinian initiatives at the UN, President Obama should be holding Abu Mazen accountable for reaching a unity government with Hamas, pushing a UN Security Council resolution instead of negotiating directly with the Israelis, joining the ICC, and threatening to end security assistance with Israel. Abu Mazen has never had any intention to reach an agreement with the Israelis, and has suffered no consequences from the Obama administration for his actions which have greatly undermined the peace process. The President's time would be better spent using his bully pulpit to leverage a change in the Palestinian leadership than to press our ally into a bad and dangerous situation, but rest assured, Congress and the American people stand overwhelmingly with Israel and support its right to exist, to defend itself, and be recognized as the democratic Jewish State."