U.S. Senate candidate Admiral Joe Sestak today applauded Secretary Hillary Clinton’s announcement that direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority will begin again on September 2nd:
“As I said in June when I called for direct talks, ‘There will never be peace by proxy,’ so today’s news is encouraging. The way forward in the Middle East is through open channels of communication. And it is appropriate that these talks be conducted without preconditions, because a commitment to dialogue should be the basis of negotiations, not a bargaining chip.
“Israel’s security is critical to American security, and lasting peace with the Palestinians is critical to Israel’s security. The U.S. has a huge stake in these negotiations, which is why I am pleased by the level of U.S. engagement in this effort. I saw in President Clinton’s White House that the presence of U.S. leadership in negotiations makes individuals and nations much more willing to take risks for peace. The work of finding a lasting peace — including a safe and secure Israel, in a safe and secure region — will not be easy, but today’s announcement marks a crucial step forward.”
Joe Sestak was elected to Congress in 2006 after a distinguished 31-year career in the United States Navy, and he is honored to represent the Southeastern Pennsylvania district where he was born and raised. He is a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat from Pennsylvania. During his Navy career, Joe attained the rank of 3-star Admiral, served in the White House as Director for Defense Policy on President Clinton’s National Security Council, served in the Pentagon as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, and led a series of operational commands at sea, culminating in command of the USS George Washington Aircraft Carrier Battle Group (30 ships, 100 aircraft, and 15,000 sailors/marines/aviators/SEALs) during combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. In our nation’s time of crisis in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the Navy turned to Joe Sestak to serve as the first Director of “Deep Blue,” the Navy anti-terrorism unit formed in response to the attacks. Joe is the highest-ranking former military officer ever elected to either branch of Congress. He graduated second in his class from the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a Master’s in Public Administration and a PhD in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. Joe lives in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Susan, and daughter, Alex, and proudly represents the 7th District, where his mother and many of his seven siblings still reside.
