Israeli premier rejects Kerry’s warning of binational state

US Secretary of State John Kerry employed unusually stark works to warn Israel that it is heading into a “one-state reality” in which it will be obliged to resume full administrative and military control over the Palestinian West Bank.

He said that Israel would have to shoulder some of responsibility, such as providing basic services in the West Bank, if the Palestinian Authority collapsed.

“The one-state solution is no solution at all for a secure, Jewish, democratic Israel living in peace”, he said. But he also says that Israeli leaders can not advocate or allow the Palestinian Authority to disintegrate.

Kerry addressed the current security situation in Israel and the West Bank, saying that the Palestinian leadership needs to fight incitement and help young people in the West Bank to see hope for their future. “It is simply not a viable option”.

He condemned the months of Palestinian attacks on Israelis as well as Israel’s continued settlement construction on lands envisioned for a Palestinian state. Palestinian unfounded allegations that Israel was attempting to change the status of the Temple Mount holy site in Jerusalem partially fueled the uptick in violence.

He added that the level of distrust between the two sides “has never been more profound”, calling for an end to the violence before it worsens yet again.

“There’s no justification for violence against civilians”, Kerry said. He cited troubling school textbooks, maps, speeches and media reports that have to be revised.

Kerry’s comments came during a forum at the Brookings Institution, where he said both sides need to renew efforts for peace talks. “That’s the problem today”.

U.S. Secretary of State spoke of the halt in diplomatic contacts between Israelis and Palestinians on Saturday during the annual Saban Forum in Washington, where officials from both countries discuss the U.S.-Israeli relations and burning topics.

“It is important that that not become a slogan, not become a throw-away phrase, that it becomes a policy, which is what it is meant to be”, he said.