U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry today warned Israel of the dangers posed by a potential collapse of the Palestinian Authority during a speech Saturday. Following the results of the March 2015 elections, Israel is now reigned by the most right wing government in its history, with many of its members objecting to making concessions to the Palestinians and opposing the two-state solution. He also lamented that Israeli settlements were expanding further into areas Palestinians considered part of a future state while denying permits for Palestinian projects in territories that would be negotiated over as part of an eventual peace agreement.
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Speaking at the Saban Forum of the Brookings Institution think-tank, held in Washington, Kerry questioned if Israel was prepared for the strategic, economic and security consequences of the possible scenario.
He added that the level of distrust between the two sides “has never been more profound”, calling for an end to the violence before it worsens yet again.
Last month, the IDF shut down three Palestinian radio stations amid persistent Israeli claims that the recent wave of deadly Palestinian attacks against Israelis has been spurred by incitement in social and traditional media.
He says such an event would lead to situation that would threaten both the security of Israel and the Palestinian people.
He also described discussions with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whom Kerry said “spoke more despairingly” than ever about the hopelessness Palestinians feel.
“If you are not sitting down, if all you are doing is hurling invective at each other on a daily basis, there is no prayer of beginning that kind of conversation”, he said.
Kerry has made Israeli-Palestinian peace one of his top priorities, but that process broke apart in April 2014 with no agreement.
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“It is important that that not become a slogan, not become a throw-away phrase, that it becomes a policy, which is what it is meant to be”, he said.
