US Senator Marco Rubio (RFlorida) flipped the oft-heard equation that
Israeli-Palestinian peace was the key to stability in the region, saying
Thursday that the security of Israel was the “lynchpin” to solving many of the
regional conflicts, “particularly the Palestinian question.”
Wrapping up
a five-day trip to Israel, Jordan and the West Bank, Rubio – widely considered a
possible 2016 Republican presidential candidate – told a Jerusalem press
conference that he viewed every issue in the region through the prism of
Israel’s security.
“No nation in the world has suffered more in recent
times than Israel from war and violence, in terms of its neighbors,” he
said.
He said the ultimate goal was two states for two peoples, but it
was a process that must be negotiated and could not be imposed by the US or any
international bodies.
“The greatest advancements in this process have
always been made when Israel felt secure. There is a direct relationship between
Israel’s security and the ability to make concessions and move forward,” the
freshman senator said. “The more secure Israel is, the likelier it is going to
be that this issue is going to be solved.”
Rubio also warned against
raising expectations beyond “what is immediately realistic, because expectations
that are elevated, and then unmet, become counterproductive to the entire
process.”
He said this sentiment had been echoed “on both of the sides of
the divide” during his meetings in the region.
The senator refrained from
condemning the settlements, saying this, too, was an issue that had to be worked
out in negotiations, and should not be imposed from the outside.
He said
the No. 1 impediment to a negotiated agreement on all the issues with the
Palestinians was Israel’s security. He added that it was not for the US to “go
in and dictate what the resolution of that issue [the settlements] should
be.”
Rubio said he was “proud” of America’s “bipartisan commitment” to
its relationship with Israel. He predicted that US President Barack Obama’s
upcoming visit would send a clear signal that despite “our many differences on
many issues in the US, there is clear bipartisan support for a number of
principles in foreign policy,” including preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear
weapons, and a commitment to Israel’s security.
He replied with a clear
“no” when asked whether the Chuck Hagel nomination for defense secretary had
come up in his discussions in Jerusalem, and refused to discuss the issue at the
press conference, saying he would not talk about the confirmation process while
traveling abroad.
Regarding Iran, he stressed that it was not an Israeli
problem, but “a problem of the world,” and that while he hoped and prayed
sanctions would work, “we need to be prepared for the possibility” that they may
not.
Turning to Syria, Rubio described himself as a “forceful advocate
for US engagement and involvement” in that country, and said there were two
conflicts taking place there at the same time.
The first was “to get rid
of [Syrian President Bashar] Assad, and the second conflict unfortunately is
between those working to get rid of Assad, and the different interests they have
for the long-term of that country and the region.”
He said it was
important for the US to be involved “because we want to ensure that responsible
actors are the ones who ultimately win that conflict.”