J Street Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami issued the following statement today after Secretary of State Clinton’s remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations:
J Street welcomes Secretary of State Clinton’s remarks today at the Council on Foreign Relations, reinforcing the administration’s strong commitment to bold American leadership in the Middle East. In particular, we applaud Secretary Clinton’s statement that “ending the [Israeli-Palestinian] conflict requires action on all sides.” The Israelis, the Palestinians, and the Arab states all have obligations to fulfill – including a complete settlement freeze on Israel’s part, the Palestinian commitments to provide security and end incitement to violence, and moves toward normalization of relations with Israel by the Arab states. We also stand in support of the administration’s diplomatic engagement with Iran over its nuclear program and its support for terrorism. By no means is this engagement guaranteed to succeed, nor should it remain open-ended – but we cannot and should not miss the opportunity to find a diplomatic solution to our differences with Iran. As the Secretary made clear, no nation can meet the world’s challenges alone, and such strong American leadership is critical to advancing the interests of the United States, Israel, and the entire Middle East through a two-state solution and a comprehensive, regional peace.