Palestinians generally welcomed the speech delivered by US Secretary of State John Kerry Dec. 28, although they also felt it was more geared toward defending the anti-settlement vote on Dec. 23 at the UN Security Council than presenting a bold, new initiative. A short, seven-minute excerpt, temporarily posted on the State Department website, features the highlights of the speech in terms of why the United States abstained on Resolution 2334, affirming the illegality of Israeli settlements. The 73-minute speech, delivered in the State Department’s Dean Acheson Auditorium, appeared particularly aimed at saving Israel from itself in making a last ditch effort to save the two-state solution.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reacted swiftly to the speech, announcing that the Palestinians would return to peace talks if Israel halted settlement activities. A statement read by chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and quoted by the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, read, “The minute the Israeli government agrees to cease all settlement activities … and agrees to implement the signed agreements on the basis of mutual reciprocity, the Palestinian leadership stands ready to resume permanent status negotiations on the basis of international law and relevant international legality resolutions … under a specified timeframe.”
PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi remarked that despite everything President Barack Obama and Kerry have given the Israelis, they are still not satisfied. She told Al-Monitor, “I am amazed. Eight years of total disdain toward the Obama administration, and after Kerry gave them everything they want, summarized in six principles that reflect the Israeli position, they were unhappy.”
Ashrawi said that Kerry had to prove his Zionist credentials in the speech, but that the Israelis still trashed his speech. “They rejected their own priorities simply because [Kerry] reminded them of the US public position that settlements are illegal and that they need a Palestinian state to rescue Israel from itself,” Ashrawi said.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
