Time for political courage in the Middle East

Baker Institute founding director Edward P. Djerejian has an op-ed in today’s Houston Chronicle on the effort by Palestinians to obtain recognition as a “state” through a United Nations Security Council resolution.

Djerejian, who is a former U.S. ambassador to Syria and to Israel and assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, says the key question is what happens after the vote. He writes:

“If ever there was a moment for strong leadership to protect and advance our national security interests in the Mideast, it is now. What happens at the U.N. can be exploited in a positive way to get the parties engaged in sustained and conclusive peace negotiations.”