(Washington, DC) - U.S. Representative Gary L. Ackerman, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, issued the following statement today on the subject of U.S.-Israel discussions on the subject of Israeli settlement activity:

“The most important thing to remember with all the talk right now about settlements is the strategic threat from Iran. It is the overarching threat to the region and to the interests of the United States. The most worrisome settlement is not in the West Bank and it’s not even Israeli: it’s the Iranian settlement in Gaza.

To bring together the kind of unified international pressure that stands a chance of pushing Iran to back down from its nuclear ambitions and its subversive activity, the United States needs to demonstrate it is capable of resolving conflict and providing regional security. And for the states in the Middle East, that means normalizing relations with Israel and the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It means statehood for the Palestinians and it means, at long last, real peace and real security for Israel.

The priority has to be on stopping Iran. And all terrorism.  Whatever detracts from that goal has to be subordinated.

The growth of Israeli settlements, unfortunately, detracts from the goal. Palestinian violence destroys the goal.  Stopping settlement construction won’t turn off a single Iranian centrifuge, it’s true. But it will demonstrate that the United States is driving the political agenda in the region and is serious about peace. That fact will help shore up the moderate Arab states—some of whom are weak, some of whom have been wavering—reinforce American leadership with our allies in Europe, and give hope to both Israelis and Palestinians that peace, not merely a peace process is in the offing. 

I do not believe in, and I do not support a settlement freeze that calls on Israeli families not to grow, get married, or forces them to throw away their grandparents. Telling people not to have children is unthinkable and inhumane. Real life is messy and the exigencies of any vibrant population need to be acknowledged and accommodated.

The real question is expanding, construction and building. I think it’s fair to say that the big blocks of settlements will probably wind up in Israel. But this question, like the other questions related to a final peace agreement, has to be resolved in negotiations between the parties. A freeze on settlement construction—not family life—will set the stage for those negotiations to begin in  earnest. ”

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