Watch: John Kerry’s Speech on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The Fellowship  |  December 28, 2016

This morning John Kerry delivered his final speech as Secretary of State on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Yediot Achronot reports, including remarks that are sure to provoke a heated response from Israel:

Outgoing US Secretary of State John Kerry laid out the Obama administration’s principles for peace between Israel and the Palestinians during a speech at the State Department on Wednesday that lasted 71 minutes, one of the longest in US State Department history.

Primarily, Kerry called to create a secure and recognized border between Israel and a contiguous Palestine along the 1967 lines, with mutually agreed upon land swaps.

“Israel will return land it has occupied since 1967. The borders must be secure and Palestine must be viable and contiguous,” Kerry clarified.

Second, the secretary of state called to fulfill the UN General Assembly Resolution 181 of two states for two people: A Jewish state and an Arab state, with full and equal rights for all citizens.

Third, he stressed the need to provide a just and fair solution to the Palestinian refugees issues, including compensation, which is consistent with the idea of two states for two peoples.

Fourth, Kerry spoke of the imperative to reach an agreed resolution for Jerusalem as the international, recognized capital of the two states.