Senator Marco Rubio's comments at the U.S. Ambassador to Israel Confirmation's Hearing to consider the nomination of David Friedman to be U.S. ambassador to Israel

"LET ME BEGIN BY SAYING I FIND THIS WHOLE PROCESS TO BE UNREAL, THIS SORT OF ORDEAL YOU'RE BEING PUT THROUGH TO ACCOUNT FOR ALL THE WORDS, GIVEN SOME TO HAVE GROUPS. THIS GROUP JAY STREET A FEW YEARS AGO INVITED THE PALESTINIAN -- WHO JUSTIFIED THE MURDER OF JEWS AS SELF-DEFENSE AS A PERSON THEY INVITED TO SPEAK AT THE CONFERENCE. PEOPLE WHO HOLD VIEWS I FIND TO BE A SMEAR AND MISCHARACTERIZATION OF OUR POSITION. SECOND THING I THINK YOU'RE CONFRONTING NOT IN THIS HEARING PER SE BUT AT LARGE IS WHAT IS THIS ORTHODOXY, IN THE STATE, -- STATE DEPARTMENT, SOMEHOW THE UNITED STATES NEEDS TO BE A FAIR AND BALANCED ARBITER IN THIS SITUATION WE'RE FACING IN THE MIDDLE EAST. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT, I REALLY DON'T. MY VIEW IS ISRAEL IS OUR FUNGUS ALLY IN THE REGION. IN ADDITION TO A MORAL OBLIGATION TO PROTECT THE RIGHT OF JEWISH PEOPLE TO A HOMELAND, ESPECIALLY ONE FOUND IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE HOLOCAUST. THE SECOND POINT I WOULD FIND STARTLING, ALL THESE SO-CALLED PROFESSIONALS, I VERY RARELY HEAR THEM STAND UP AND SPEAK VOCIFEROUSLY. THEY ARE NEVER RELUCTANT TO STEP FORWARD AND CONDEMN ISRAEL TIME AND AGAIN. AND THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO CONFRONT TIME AND AGAIN. THIS WHOLE DIALOGUE AROUND THIS IS THAT YOU HAVE SOMEHOW -- A WHOLESALE REJECTION OF THE TWO STATE SOLUTION. YOU HAVE SAID IN A PERFECT WORLD YOU WOULD HAVE TWO STATES PEACEFULLY SIDE BY SIDE LIVING NEXT TO ONE ANOTHER. PERHAPS THE LEAST OF WHICH THE EXISTENCE IN JUDEO AND SAMARIA -- JUDEO AND SAMARIA -- TO IMPOSE UPON THEM A NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT OUTSIDE THE BOUNDS OF WHAT THE JEWISH PEOPLE SUPPORT AND THE INTEREST OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL. A BIGGER IMPEDIMENT IS THE UNWILLINGNESS OF THE LEADERSHIP OF THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY TO RECOGNIZE ISRAEL'S RIGHT AS A JEWISH STATE. THAT IS THE KEY PHRASE, NOT JUSTICE RAIL JUST ISRAEL'S RIGHT TO EXIST. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO NEGOTIATE A PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE WITH THE NEIGHBOR WHO DOES NOT ADMIT THE RIGHT OF YOUR EXISTENCE? HOW ABOUT YOUNG PALESTINIANS INTO A DOCTRINE OF HATRED AN JUSTIFICATION AND KILLING AND MURDERING OF JEWS THAT BEGINS OUTRAGEOUSLY AT A VERY YOUNG AGE. THAT'S A BIG INPEDIMENT. -- BIG IMPEDIMENT. ANOTHER IS TO IMPOSE ON ISRAEL A NEGOTIATED SOLUTION ON THE TERMS -- ANOTHER BIG IMPEDIMENT THE INCITEMENT OF LEADERS. THAT ISN'T WIDELY REPORTED. THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT INTO TO THE ENGLISH PRESSES. WHEN THEY DEDICATE MONUMENTS TO MARTYRS WHO ARE NOTHING BUT TERRORISTS. WHEN THEY EXPLAIN WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT, THESE THINGS INCITE VIOLENCE. I VIEW THESE THINGS AS BIGGER IMPEDIMENTS AND I THINK IT'S NOT THAT YOU'RE OPPOSED BUT RECOGNIZE AT THIS MOMENT GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT EXIST AND IN THAT REGION IN PARTICULAR IT IS NOT LIKELY TO HAVE THAT OUTCOME AND HOPEFULLY THAT WILL CHANGE. HOPEFULLY THE PALESTINIANS WILL HAVE BETTER LEADERSHIP, THE MORE PROSPEROUS, GROW THE ECONOMY. TEN, 15, 20 YEARS, FIVE YEARS, WE ALL HOPE THE SITUATIONS WILL BE BETTER FOR THAT TO OCCUR, BUT THE WORST THING TO DO IS TO IMPOSE ON OUR MOST IMPORTANT ALLY IN THE REGION A DEAL THAT'S BAD FOR THEIR SECURITY AND FUTURE, IS THAT AN ACCURATE CHARACTERIZATION OF YOUR FEELINGS WITH REGARD TO THE TWO-STATE SOLUTION?"