Washington, DC - January 10, 2017 - Representative Tom Suozzi (D – Long Island, Queens), wrapped up a busy first week in office on Thursday night, by delivering his first remarks on the floor as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Suozzi, who was officially sworn into office on Tuesday January 3rd, was an original co-sponsor of House Resolution 11, expressing opposition to the U.S.'s abstention from a U.N. Security Council vote on a resolution regarding Israel.
Below are Suozzi’s remarks and a link to a video of his speech.
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a co-sponsor of bipartisan House Resolution 11. In 2002, during the 2nd Intifada, after the massacre in Hebron, I had the great good fortune of meeting in Jerusalem with Shimon Peres of blessed memory.
He explained why a two state solution is the only path to peace, and I will never abandon his dream of a two state solution.
UN Resolution 2334, however, pushes the hope of a two state solution farther away for three reasons:
1. It discourages direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
2. It fails to distinguish between “long accepted” and “more controversial” settlements.
“Long accepted” settlements such as the long established Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, in the Jewish Quarter, places like the Western Wall, and the “consensus” settlements versus “more controversial” hilltop settlements in the West Bank, such as Amona.
Settlements that even the Israeli Supreme Court has declared illegal. And,
3. It fails to explicitly condemn the number one impediment to a two state solution, anti-Israel terrorism.”
Link to Video of Floor Speech: Congressman Suozzi's Speech in Support of H. Res. 11
House Resolution 11 passed with 342 votes in favor and with bi-partisan support.
Congressman Suozzi is a representative from the 3rd Congressional District of New York, which includes pasts of Nassau and Suffolk Counties and Queens.