John Kerry an Excellent Choice for State

John Kerry is an excellent choice to be the next Secretary of State.

Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senator for 38 years, Kerry’s deep knowledge of the Middle East and strong belief in the power of US diplomacy make him exceptionally qualified to spearhead President Obama’s second term foreign policy agenda. Kerry would be well positioned to play a leading role should President Obama move to revive peace efforts aimed at achieving a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Kerry understands that peace is not only essential for Israel’s survival, but also a fundamental US interest.

After Operation Cast Lead in 2009, he traveled to both Israel and Gaza, and saw the personal cost inflicted by the ongoing conflict, underscoring the need for US engagement. Kerry declared later that year, “there is a window of opportunity that we must seize by showing, with actions more than words, that it will not just be business as usual in the Middle East.”

Throughout his career, Kerry has worked to strengthen the US-Israel alliance in all its facets. He has also supported tight sanctions to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

As the President’s second term approaches, a window of opportunity for US leadership to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict opens again. We are hopeful that Kerry will accept the challenge and help bring this long and tragic confrontation to a close.