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| Senator John Kerry giving his farewell address as Secretary of State (Times of Israel) |
UK issues unprecedented rebuke towards its closest ally America but defends decision to back UN motion
Britain has issued an unprecedented rebuke of its closest ally America following a speech by John Kerry on the future of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
The unprecedented statement came after the US Secretary of State delivered a withering attack on Israel’s settlement policy that was seen by Jerusalem as “obsessively” focused on the issue over all others.
In his speech yesterday, Kerry warned that the possibility of a two-state reality was being out in grave danger and branded the governing coalition in Israel as “the most right wing in history” with an agenda driven by the most extreme elements.
A British government spokesperson said: “We do not believe that the way to negotiate peace is by focusing on only one issue, in this cases the construction of settlements, when clearly the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is so deeply complex.
“And we do not believe that it is appropriate to attack the composition of the democratically-elected government of an ally. The Government believes that negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between the two parties, supported by the international community.”
Last Friday, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution against settlements by 14 votes to zero, with a the US breaking with tradition to abstain rather than veto the text. The passage of the motion provoked an unprecedented diplomatic rift between the US and Israel, while Israel limited trips by ministers to all those countries that backed the motion.
The unprecedented statement came after the US Secretary of State delivered a withering attack on Israel’s settlement policy that was seen by Jerusalem as “obsessively” focused on the issue over all others.
In his speech yesterday, Kerry warned that the possibility of a two-state reality was being out in grave danger and branded the governing coalition in Israel as “the most right wing in history” with an agenda driven by the most extreme elements.
A British government spokesperson said: “We do not believe that the way to negotiate peace is by focusing on only one issue, in this cases the construction of settlements, when clearly the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is so deeply complex.
“And we do not believe that it is appropriate to attack the composition of the democratically-elected government of an ally. The Government believes that negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between the two parties, supported by the international community.”
Last Friday, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution against settlements by 14 votes to zero, with a the US breaking with tradition to abstain rather than veto the text. The passage of the motion provoked an unprecedented diplomatic rift between the US and Israel, while Israel limited trips by ministers to all those countries that backed the motion.
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