Reaffirming Longstanding United States Policy in Support of a Direct Bilaterally Negotiated Settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Floor Speech

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Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 165. This is a bipartisan resolution put forward by the chair and ranking member of our committee, Mr. Royce and Mr. Engel, cosponsored by myself, with a host of other bipartisan cosponsors.

This resolution comes at a precarious time for the two-state solution, with a new administration preparing to enter office and as turmoil continues in the Middle East. I, myself, have always been a supporter of a negotiated solution between the Israeli and Palestinian sides of this conflict which would result in a secure, democratic Jewish State of Israel alongside a stable and democratic state for the Palestinian people.

This resolution reaffirms this commitment, which has been longstanding American policy. The United States has provided important leadership as the two parties have negotiated. We would hope to see bilateral negotiations in the future. Peace must be made by the parties themselves. A peace settlement will only come through direct bilateral negotiations. These negotiations are delicate and they are complicated.

As President Barack Obama said in 2011: ``Peace is hard work. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the United Nations. If it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now.'' The President continued: ``Ultimately, it is the Israelis and the Palestinians who must live side by side. Ultimately, it is the Israelis and the Palestinians, not us, who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them . . . `'

This resolution is consistent with administration policy and consistent with the policy of several prior administrations.

We must heed this advice. Imposing a solution on the parties will not work. In fact, it will be counterproductive to peace. It would undermine incentives for the Palestinian authority to make the necessary changes that are prerequisites for peace. Statehood can be accomplished by ensuring security, eliminating incitement, and demonstrating that the Palestinian side can live peacefully with Israel.

This resolution expresses a sense of Congress as follows:

That the Israeli-Palestinian peace will come only through direct bilateral negotiations;

That recognition of a Palestinian state without a peace deal would cause harm to the peace process;

That efforts by outside bodies to impose an agreement or the parameters for an agreement are likely to set back the peace process;

The United States should veto any one-sided United Nations Security Council resolutions, or those resolutions that would seek to impose solutions on final status issues--again, consistent with the administration policies;

And finally, of course, that America will continue to support negotiations without preconditions between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

The Palestinian people deserve a state of their own. The Israeli people deserve to live in peace as Jews in the State of Israel. In this spirit, I call upon my colleagues to join us in passing this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, this resolution reaffirms longstanding American policy that can be summarized in five points: talks must be direct and bilateral; a solution cannot be imposed on the parties; both sides must be willing to make important compromises; disagreements should be resolved privately; and the United States should work closely with the State of Israel. This resolution deserves the support of those on both sides of the aisle.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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