Kerry backs Israeli needs for security
U.S. Secretary of State seeks to ease relations
JERUSALEM Looking to soothe irritated relations with Israel, America’s top diplomat on Thursday pledged to support the Jewish state’s security throughout separate negotiations with Iran and the Palestinians — including Israel’s demand that it “defend itself, by itself.”
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s comments served as a sort of peace offering to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made no secret of his displeasure with a tentative offer by world powers to ease some sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbing Tehran’s nuclear program.
In remarks to reporters after meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Kerry repeatedly affirmed Israel’s security as a top U.S. priority. He said he and retired Marine Gen. John Allen offered suggestions on how Israel can bolster its security as the result of its ongoing peace negotiations with Palestinians.
Kerry did not offer specifics, and Netanyahu separately told reporters that the process was not helped by discussing its details with the media.
However, Kerry pointedly said the U.S. recognizes Israel as a “country that can defend itself by itself.” Netanyahu has long insisted that any final peace deal must allow Israel to maintain a security presence in the West Bank — a prospect that has angered Palestinians.
“We have always known that this is a difficult, complicated road, and we understand that,” Kerry said at the end of his three-hour morning meeting with Netanyahu. “I believe we are making some progress, and the parties remain committed to this task.”
Netanyahu, offering his own rundown of the meeting with Kerry, said Israel is ready for peace but “must be able to defend itself, by itself, with its own forces against any foreseeable threat.”
Kerry then headed to the nearby West Bank city of Ramallah to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whom he praised for sticking with the so-far fruitless negotiations “despite difficulties that he and Palestinians have perceived in the process.” The talks, which face a March deadline for a resolution, have entered their fifth month without any major breakthroughs.
“The interests are very similar, but there are questions of sovereignty; questions of respect and dignity, which are obviously significant to the Palestinians and Israelis,” said Kerry.