Outgoing Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday lectured Israel that it cannot be both Jewish and a democracy, saying it must give up territory and settlements to allow for a Palestinian state.
"The truth is that trends on the ground, violence, terrorism, settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation, they are combining to destroy hopes for peace on both sides and increasingly cementing ... an irreversible one state reality that most people do not actually want," Kerry said.
"Today, there are a similar number of Jews and Palestinians living between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean Sea. They have a choice. They can choose to live together in one state or they can separate into two states. But here is a fundamental reality. 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.
"Moreover, the Palestinians will never fully realize their vast potential in a homeland of their own with a one-state solution," he said.
Kerry had spent months meeting with leaders in the Middle East on the issue when he was appointed to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.
Click here to sign the petition urging President-elect Donald J. Trump and the Republican Congress to use all available means to encourage allies of the United States and Israel to withdraw from the United Nations and withhold all funding and official recognition from that organization.
His speech on Wednesday outlined exactly what he thinks the world should do in the Middle East: Have Israel give up territory and create a state of Palestine, which would include part of Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, a new online petition urges Congress and President-elect Donald Trump not only to defund the United Nations, from which much of the world's antagonism to Israel stems, but to withdraw from the world body and expel it from American soil.
The Washington Times noted Kerry defended Obama's treatment of Israel, including his decision last week to abstain from a critical U.N. resolution vote that once again condemned Israel.
Kerry claimed "no American administration has done more for Israeli security than Barack Obama's" and said the construction of Israeli housing on what he described as "Palestinian territory" inside Israel was a "flagrant violation of international law."
"The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state solution that's what we were standing up for," he claimed.
U.S. officials described Kerry's speech as a comprehensive vision of peace, and he warned there is "no viable alternative" to a two-state solution.
He called the "settler agenda" the defining issue for Israel's future and warned against that nation's plan to legalize settlements by applying Israeli civilian law in its territory.
Kerry said the only solution is a "contiguous" Palestinian state and "just" settlements for Palestinians.
Trump already has sounded off on the issue, tweeting: "We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching."
That's the day Trump will take the oath of office.
The Israeli daily Haaretz described Kerry's address as "critical" of Israel and pointed out he was insisting on the 1967 boundaries as new international boundaries between Israel and Palestine.
Also, the paper said, he wants "full rights to all citizens."
Kerry was lashing out, CNN reported, because he believes the two-state solution is in jeopardy.
Part of that problem is the fact that Palestinians continue to terrorize and kill Israelis, Kerry admitted. But he said "extreme elements" inside Israel also insist that the nation's settlements are part of its efforts to provide security to its residents.
Click here to sign the petition urging President-elect Donald J. Trump and the Republican Congress to use all available means to encourage allies of the United States and Israel to withdraw from the United Nations and withhold all funding and official recognition from that organization.