Middle East Peace

There is no doubt that a peaceful, democratic Middle East is critical to the national security of the United States, and I have been engaged for much of my career in efforts to promote progress toward this goal. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, divided and fragile states like Lebanon and Iraq – each of these situations contributes to regional instability and offers opportunities to extremists and terrorists.

A negotiated peace is in the vital national interest of both Israel and the Palestinian people. Violence and bloodshed have been an inescapable part of life for all in that region for decades, with some respite when peace seemed within reach in the 1990s. Allowing the peace process to stagnate will only continue this same cycle of violence. As the last few years have shown, unrest in the Palestinian territories poses a direct threat to Israeli citizens in the form of terrorist attacks, barrages of rockets, and kidnappings. Our goal must be to achieve a resolution to the conflict that enables a sovereign Jewish, democratic state to live peacefully alongside a democratic and non-violent Palestinian state.

Israel’s neighbor to the north, Lebanon, has also struggled with violent challenges to its fragile democracy. Through the House Democracy Partnership , which I chair, I have worked to promote peace and reconciliation in that troubled nation. Wracked by civil war for much of the last three decades, there is cause for hope in Lebanon as a unity government has taken power. The United States must stand solidly in support of the Lebanese government, one of the Middle East’s few democracies.

With President Obama's leadership, we are finally bringing the war in Iraq to a close. In my view, the Bush Administration got this war wrong from the beginning, which is why I opposed it from the beginning. I am encouraged to see our commitment of combat troops ending, marking the close of a challenging chapter in our nation's history.

Related Information

House Democracy Partnership