Israelis and Palestinians react to Secretary Kerry's Arab-Israeli conflict policy speech

Record ID: 162569

  • Title: Israelis and Palestinians react to Secretary Kerry's Arab-Israeli conflict policy speech
  • Date: 28th December 2016
  • Summary: JERUSALEM (DECEMBER 28, 2016) (REUTERS) JERUSALEM STREET SCENE VARIOUS OF WOMAN WATCHING U.S. SECRETARY JOHN KERRY'S' SPEECH ON MOBILE PHONE U.S. SECRETARY KERRY'S SPEECH BROADCASTING ON MOBILE PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (English) JERUSALEM RESIDENT, NATALIA, SAYING: "We will arise and build and we will continue to be obedient to God and this tremendous promise and... that he is given us, the land of Israel. So we will not be deterred, we will arise and build and give glory to God Amen and Amen. PEOPLE WATCHING U.S. SECRETARY KERRY'S SPEECH ON MOBILE PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (English) JERUSALEM RESIDENT, GABI LEVKPVITZ, SAYING: "I think I agree with the substance of what John Kerry has said but I think that Israel... it's in Israel's interest to ensure that the two-state solution is possible but not at the behest of the U.N. And I think it is in Israel's interest to preempt any further U.N. action by taking it upon itself to make sure that it enables the possibility of two-state solution, so that this kind of... so that the rest of the world doesn't feel like it needs to ramp up diplomacy and force Israel into position that might be difficult for it." JERUSALEM RESIDENT, IAIN LATZKI, WALKING ON STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) JERUSALEM RESIDENT, IAIN LATZKI, SAYING: "I think what John Kerry was saying was very much in a global prospective and what's important for Israel and his views on where a two-state solution is about how the world thinks that this issue and all the dilemmas that are facing Israel can be fixed. I think when Bibi Netanyahu speaks and what John Kerry is attacking is Bibi is actually putting the needs of Israel first and he is looking at how the Israeli people can be protected in such a difficult situation." PEOPLE SITTING IN JERUSALEM COFFEE SHOP BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (DECEMBER 28, 2016) (REUTERS) BETHLEHEM RESIDENTS WATCHING U.S. SECRETARY KERRY'S SPEECH ON TELEVISION SECRETARY KERRY'S' SPEECH SEEN FROM TELEVISION VARIOUS OF BETHLEHEM RESIDENTS WATCHING U.S. SECRETARY KERRY'S SPEECH ON TELEVISION SCARF WITH PALESTINIAN FLAG AND CHRISTMAS HAT HANGING ON TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MAHER KANAWATI, PALESTINIAN BUSINESSMAN FROM BETHLEHEM, SAYING "I think this is the speech that we've always heard from Kerry and from the American government. We hope on some of the items that they have talked about, specifically on the two-state solution it is very important for us as Palestinians and many as Israelis. And... the vote that they did at the United Nations last week was a great step and I hope that they will follow through in order to stop the settlements in Palestine in order to get to the two-state solution." SECRETARY KERRY'S SPEECH SEEN FROM TELEVISION (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) BETHLEHEM RESIDENT, ISSA SULIABI, SAYING: "It is an embarrassing speech for us as Palestinians, he is apologising for the Israelis after the U.N. vote. It is an apology, he is asking to achieve peace but this speech is very bad and leads to violence in the Middle East. He didn't speak about a balanced peace but he only sees the region from an Israeli point of view." SECRETARY KERRY'S SPEECH SEEN FROM TELEVISION KANAWATI AND SULIABI WATCHING U.S. SECRETARY KERRY'S SPEECH ON TELEVISION
  • Embargoed: 12th January 2017 19:02
  • Keywords: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Israel Palestinians
  • Location: JERUSALEM/ BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK
  • City: JERUSALEM/ BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015ESSY87
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: In Jerusalem, Israelis reacted to the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's speech on Wednesday (December 28) where he warned that Israel's building of settlements was endangering Middle East peace, expressing unusually frank frustration with the long-time American ally.
    In a swiftly issued statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Kerry of showing bias. He said Israel did not need to be lectured to by foreign leaders and looked forward to working with incoming President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to pursue more pro-Israeli policies.
    In a 70-minute speech with mere weeks left in his tenure, Kerry said Israel "will never have true peace" with the Arab world if it does not reach an accord based on Israelis and Palestinians living in their own states.
    Kerry's remarks, and Netanyahu's reply, marked the closing chapter of an increasingly bitter U.S.-Israeli relationship during President Barack Obama's administration over differences on settlement-building and the Iran nuclear deal signed last year.
    "We will arise and build and we will continue to be obedient to God and this tremendous promise and... that he is given us, the land of Israel. So we will not be deterred, we will arise and build and give glory to God Amen and Amen," a Jerusalem resident, Natalia, said.
    Meanwhile, another resident Gabi Levkpvitz said that he agreed with the substance of Kerry's speech, adding: "It's in Israel's interest to ensure that the two-state solution is possible but not at the behest of the U.N. And I think it is in Israel's interest to preempt any further U.N. action by taking it upon itself to make sure that it enables the possibility of two-state solution, so that the rest of the world doesn't feel like it needs to ramp up diplomacy and force Israel into position that might be difficult for it."
    Israel has pursued a policy of constructing settlements on territory it captured in a 1967 war with its Arab neighbours - the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, areas Palestinians seek for a state.
    Most countries view the settlement activity as illegal and an obstacle to peace. Israel disagrees, citing biblical and historical connections to the West Bank and Jerusalem as well as security interests.
    "I think what John Kerry was saying was very much in a global prospective and what's important for Israel and his views on where a two-state solution is about how the world thinks that this issue and all the dilemmas that are facing Israel can be fixed. I think when Bibi Netanyahu speaks and what John Kerry is attacking is Bibi is actually putting the needs of Israel first and he is looking at how the Israeli people can be protected in such a difficult situation," Iain Latzki, a Jerusalem resident, said.
    In the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Palestinians were following Kerry's speech with hope.
    "I think this is the speech that we've always heard from Kerry and from the American government. We hope on some of the items that they have talked about, specifically on the two-state solution it is very important for us as Palestinians and many as Israelis. And... the vote that they did at the United Nations last week was a great step and I hope that they will follow through in order to stop the settlements in Palestine in order to get to the two-state solution," Maher Kanawati, a Palestinian businessman from Bethlehem said.
    But fellow Bethlehem resident, Issa Suliabi, said it was an "embarrassing speech for us as Palestinians".
    "He is apologising for the Israelis after the U.N. vote. It is an apology, he is asking to achieve peace but this speech is very bad and leads to violence in the Middle East. He didn't speak about a balanced peace but he only sees the region from an Israeli point of view," Suliabi said.
    Some 570,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, together home to more than 2.6 million Palestinians. Peace talks have stalled since 2014.
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