Secretary Kerry Talks Peace at AJC’s Global Forum

Sara Fried — June 4, 2013 – 1:37 pm | Democrats | Iran | Israel Comments (0) Add a comment

Secretary of State John Kerry received a warm reception yesterday at the American Jewish Committee’s Global Forum, where he spoke about Israel and expressed his hopes for peace. This was his first speech to a Jewish organization since becoming Secretary of State. He began his speech by acknowledging the difficulties of the past, and the discouragement many people feel when they think about the peace process. He then looked ahead, reaffirming the possibility of peace, and his deep commitment to Israel’s continued strength and prosperity:

The best way to truly ensure Israel’s security today and for future generations is by ending once and for all the conflict with the Palestinians, by summoning the courage to achieve peace, and by reaching a negotiated resolution that results in two states for two peoples, each able to fulfill their legitimate national aspirations in a homeland of their own. We are all committed to that.

So I come here today to affirm to all of you that we are deeply committed to Israel’s security…But what does that security look like? Certainly it’s more than simply the absence of war. For Israel, a nation with history and challenges unlike any other, it means secure - and being secure in its future as a Jewish state, but also a democratic state, also an economically thriving state. Security for Israel means freedom from pernicious attacks on its legitimacy from its neighbors or on the world stage. Security for Israel grows with the empowerment of moderates in the West Bank and Gaza and throughout the region so that extremists are isolated rather than promoted and empowered. And lasting security for Israel requires regional stability and open markets that will let Israelis concentrate on building up their businesses and not just their defenses.

You and I both know that the place where all of this happens best is in a strong, secure Israel that lives peacefully alongside a viable Palestinian state. I will tell you here today, examine every possibility, all of the parameters of this conflict, this frozen conflict, and I will tell you a realistic one-state solution simply does not exist for either side.

Along with his statements on peace, Kerry pledged his unwavering support for Israel’s security:

I carry with me the commitment of President Obama, whose Administration, I am proud to say, has done more than any before to ensure that Israel’s future is strong and prosperous. Never has our security agreement been as great.

Make no mistake: The President of the United States and I share your unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security. And every time we land at Ben Gurion, I think of the words of one of the most prominent successors of Ben Gurion, and that’s Golda Meir. She said, “We only want that which is given naturally to all peoples of the world: to be masters of our own fate, not of others’.”...

And of course, Israel’s fundamental security concerns have to be answered affirmatively, including the threat of Hezbollah, a dangerous terrorist puppet of Iran that has amassed rockets and attacked Israel - and of course, Iran itself is involved in this. So let me repeat: The United States will prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Click here to read Secretary Kerry’s speech.

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