Secretary Kerry: 'settlements' obstacle to peace

Arutz Sheva ^ | 4/12/16

[Eleutheria5]

Outgoing US Secretary State John Kerry expressed disappointment Sunday that his efforts over the past four years have not put an end to the construction of homes in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

Speaking at the Saban Forum, Kerry said that Israel is "heading to a place of danger" and that the chances for peace are eroding "by virtue of this continued settlement process."

"I don't agree with him that settlements are not an obstacle to peace," Kerry said. "Let's not kid ourselves here– you can't just wipe it away by saying it doesn't have an impact. It has an impact."

"I'm not here to say that settlements are the reason for the conflict. No, they're not," he added. "But I also cannot accept the notion that they're not a barrier to peace."

Kerry expressed concern for Israel's future if a two-state solution is not achieved. "There is no status quo. It is getting worse. It is moving in the wrong direction. It defies the imagination that you're going to have a Jewish state with a unitary state."

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[Ancesthntr]

Thanks for the correction. I had thought that it was formed in ‘60, and that Arafag had taken over in ‘64.

[Eleutheria5]

Maybe that was just their first operation, blowing up a water purification plant on the Jordan. Arafag set it up, and it failed to destroy the plant. It could be it was organized at some earlier date. It’s not like there was a corporate certificate filed.