Kerry’s vision is in tune with Arab peace initiative: Kuwait
Ministry urges concerned parties to respond positively
KUWAIT CITY, Dec 30, (Agencies): The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the vision raised yesterday by US Secretary of State John Kerry for finding a final settlement to the protracted Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Kerry’s suggestions are in keeping with the provisions of the relevant UN resolutions and the Arab peace initiative and lay a viable groundwork for a final solution, an official of the Ministry said in a press release on Thursday.
The source called on the concerned parties to respond positively to Kerry’s ideas and work constructively for reaching a fair, permanent and comprehensive peace in the Middle East region and beyond.
Kerry’s recent speech presented a “balanced vision” for settling the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and securing peace in the Middle East, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit affirmed Thursday.
Even though the Secretary of State’s proposals for peace came too late; they, however, showed an honest approach towards fair and permanent settlement to the conflict, Aboul Gheit stated to reporters. He also noted that such a balanced-vision for achieving a final solution for the conflict still cannot be materialized without returning to the negotiating table.
Kerry has recently affirmed Washington’s ardent support for settling the conflict on the basis of the two states.
Kerry said that the US “could not, in good conscience, stand in the way” of last week’s UN Security Council vote to bar Israel from expanding settlements onto Palestinian land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Solution
“The two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” Kerry said in an impassioned speech billed as an outline of the Obama administration’s vision for peace in the Middle East.
“My job, above all, is to defend the United States of America,” he said. “If we were to stand idly by and know that in doing so we were allowing a dangerous dynamic to take hold, which promises greater conflict and instability to a region in which we have vital interests, we would be derelict in our own responsibilities.”
Kerry added that the US’s friendship with Israel does not mean that it should accept any policy Israel espouses.
“Friends need to tell each other the hard truths,” he said, insisting that the US had acted “in accordance with our values” when it chose not to veto the UN resolution. “And friendships require mutual respect.”
The resolution which passed 14-0 with only the US abstaining infuriated Israel and prompted President-elect Donald Trump to promise that “things will be different” at the UN after he takes office on Jan 20.
“We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect,” Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning. “They used to have a great friend in the US, but ... not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (UN)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!”
The vote has also worsened the already chilly relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama, stemming most prominently from the US-led nuclear negotiations with Iran and Obama’s longstanding opposition to Israel’s settlement policy.
Kerry’s speech came less than a month before Trump’s inauguration and is unlikely to change anything on the ground between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Netanyahu fired back shortly after Kerry finished speaking, calling the Secretary’s remarks “a great disappointment.” “Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders, Netanyahu said in a speech from Jerusalem. The Bujairi neighbourhood, located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Diriyah one of the most significant
historical and tourism spots in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.