Kerry slams Israel for settlements, calls govt most right wing

In a unusual move, US Secretary of State John Kerry has criticised Israel's decision to build new settlements in Palestine, saying the Jewish state is currently ruled by "the most right-wing" government in its history which believes in one state solution, prompting an angry reaction from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In his hour-long major policy speech, which raised many eyebrows in both Israel and in the incoming Trump administration, Kerry said the US supports a two-state solution for Israel-Palestine conflict and believes it is the only way to achieve a "just and lasting" peace in the region.

"This is an issue which all of you know I have worked on intensively during my time as Secretary of State, for one simple reason, because the two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. It is the only way to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, living in peace and security with its neighbors," Kerry said yesterday.

"It is the only way to ensure a future of freedom and dignity for the Palestinian people, and it is an important way of advancing US interests in the region," Kerry said.

He said the US' decision to abstain from an anti-Israel UN Security Council resolution helped preserve the two-state solution.

"If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it won't ever really be at peace," Kerry said He said though Netanyahu says he believes in the two-state solution, the government he leads is "the most right-wing in Israel's history." "The settler agenda is defining the future of Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state," Kerry said.

Netanyahu was quick in slamming Kerry for putting Israel and Palestine in the same basket.

"We are now celebrating Christmas. Maybe Secretary of State John Kerry didn't see that Israel is the only place in the Middle East where Christians can celebrate Christmas in security, and peace and happiness," he said in Jerusalem.

"Unfortunately, this doesn't interest the president of the United States. He makes a biased comparison between building houses in the east of Jerusalem and terror that kills innocents, and after that he talks only about Israel and only merely condemns terror," he said.

Noting that he was surprised by Kerry's speech at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department, Netanyahu said the conflict was not about houses or communities in the West Bank, Judaea, Samaria, the Gaza district or anywhere else, but about Israel's very right to exist.

"The persistent Palestinian refusal to recognise the Jewish state remains the core of the conflict, and its removal is the key to peace. Palestinian rejection of Israel and support for terror are what the nations of the world should focus on if they truly want to advance peace, and I can only express my regret and say that it's a shame that Secretary Kerry does not see this simple truth," Netanyahu said.