I wholeheartedly agree… about advocating for a two-state solution that is premised on security and peace and opportunity. And it's long been my position that's the only option available for people of good faith. It is troubling, though ― and that is something that I think we have to recognize that ― that with the testimony and the documentary evidence concerning the ― actually the glorification of suicide killers and the incitement of young people to aspire to that position and the martyrdom that it may in their minds offer them, that's very hard for any of us who believe there has to be some resolution of the ongoing dispute to understand.

And I don't believe that there has been an adequate and consistent repudiation of the rhetoric of hate and the incitement of young people by the authorities in the Palestinian Authority. And I think that's so important and I think it needs to be not just done once but over and over and over again.

The position that I bring to this is that for, you know, many years I've tried to do what I could to help children and to provide better opportunities for them. And my heart goes out to the Palestinian children, as well as the Israeli children, who had nothing to do with creating the conditions in which this violence occurs and yet are having to grow up fearful, having to grow up and see the losses of loved ones, for whatever reason. You know, let's not talk about who did what to whom and what the history is. But the fact is, we owe our children better than that, and I think that it is just heart-breaking to see the portrayal of martyrdom as something that a young child should be encouraged to hope for and aspire to.

It's not just in the testimony and the evidence presented today, but in many other settings I've seen similar messages and they are broadcast on the Palestinian Authority TV played over and over again, children playing death games, children, you know, being interviewed and, kind of, rotely reciting that death by shahada is good. It is a chilling example, and it is a real distortion of childhood and of adult responsibility. I mean, we can have all the arguments we want and we can accuse each other of all the wrongdoing that goes back as far as the mind can remember, but we should not do it at the expense of, you know, further undermining the opportunities and the futures of these children.

And so I just have to say that what is happening now and what seems to be endorsed and supported by the Palestinian leadership, through the PA TV, is troubling. And that has to end. I mean, there are many other arguments still to be had. And as we all remember, you know, many people thought that we were very close in the year 2000, from Camp David forward, and we couldn't: We couldn't continue the negotiations; we couldn't get a responsive partner on the other side. It was very discouraging.

But from my perspective, no matter what the ongoing political, diplomatic, historical argument must be worked out, these horrible examples of encouraging young people to be tools in this adult conflict is just not to be condoned or permitted to continue.

You know, I saw reports of a recent book called "Army of Roses" by Barbara Victor about women suicide bombers. You know, that's a new development now. You know, I believe in women's participation in society as fully as possible, it's just tragic that that is now a way in which some women are choosing to conduct themselves.

But in this book, the author has very compelling evidence about the fact that suicide bombers often are trained and brainwashed into seeing themselves as these martyrs.

And the author did something which I found, as a mother, very touching. You know, oftentimes you see the mothers of the suicide bombers ― both young men and young women ― and, you know, they are appearing fearless and very devoted to the cause and very proud of their daughter or their son who's gone off to blow themselves up and kill others with them.

But this author went behind the scenes and actually talked to these mothers when the cameras were off, and they were reduced to tears and they shared the feelings that any mother would about, "What is happening? Why would my child do this?"

And often these are children with some of the very best futures for a Palestinian state. These are children who are going to college, these are children who had the opportunity to contribute to building a strong Palestinian state. And instead they are, in my view, brainwashed into committing suicide for reasons that have very little to do, other than the continuing desire by those who encourage them to pursue a path of terrorism and violence.

So there must be a way out of this on the diplomatic and political front, but in the meantime all adults, no matter what our political position, no matter what the grievances that we may carry toward another, should be at least united in saying, "Let our children live to make their own decisions in the future."