“I am extremely concerned by the ongoing violence in the Middle East, which we cannot allow to escalate any further.
The stakes are enormously high, and American leadership is essential. In 1996, Secretary Christopher brokered an agreement to end the violence between Israel and Hezbollah, and Secretary Rice could play the same role. This is an international crisis of the first order. While I’m glad that Secretary Rice has announced she’ll go to the region some time in the future, she should be on the first plane to the Middle East. We should send high-ranking diplomats across the region to avert an even larger crisis. We must do all that we can to find a diplomatic path away from the escalating violence.
The Israeli people should not be terrorized by Hezbollah rockets coming over the border into their country. The Lebanese people should not be held hostage to Hezbollah terrorists and their backers in Syria and Iran.
We all pray that Hezbollah’s rockets will be silenced and that a diplomatic path away from the escalating violence will be found.”
- Ted Kennedy
July 17, 2006
Source:
http://www.tedkennedy.com/journal/1017/kennedy-statement-on-the-middle-east