Former US Secretary of State: Israel does not want peace with Palestine

(Baonghean.vn)- Israeli media reported on November 19 that former US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Israel has no plans to make peace with Palestine, while praising Palestine for doing a "wonderful" job to ease tensions.

Israeli media published a speech by Mr. Kerry, when he was US Secretary of State, at a conference in Dubai with some of the most influential policymakers in the Middle East last December. There, Mr. Kerry said: “Palestine has done a wonderful job, which is to maintain its commitment to not engage in violence.”

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry. Photo: AP

“When the Intifada (Palestinian resistance movement) broke out in 2015, the Palestinians declared that they would not commit violence in the West Bank. This was largely ignored by the vast majority of Israelis because it was not a topic of discussion. Because the majority of the Israeli Cabinet publicly stated that they did not support a Palestinian state,” the former US Secretary of State emphasized.

The former US Secretary of State also criticized the Tel Aviv government for its lack of interest in peace in the past.

The speech angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many members of the US Congress, including Republican Senator John McCain and Democratic Senator Chuck Schummer.

Israel expands plans to build settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Photo: AP

Mr Netanyahu has been widely criticised for actions that have further dimmed the prospects of a peace deal. The expansion of settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories has become one of the main obstacles to a possible agreement.

In addition, US President Donald Trump's lack of a clear stance on the decades-long Israel-Palestine conflict has further complicated the situation./.

Lan Ha

(According to PressTV)