John Kerry Says Israel and Palestinians at ‘Pivotal Point’
Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday said Israeli and Palestinian leaders have reached a pivotal point and it was now up to them to make important decisions that will lead to lasting peace.
Kerry arrived in Boston from a one-day visit to the Middle East that included discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
“We are very concerned about the violence and the potential for the situation to spin out of control,” Kerry told reporters.
“I think we may be reaching a pivotal point now where both sides have important decisions to make for the future, and we obviously hope they make choices that will advance the prospects for lasting peace,” he said before leaving for the long U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Kerry added that the United States has been encouraging both sides to take “affirmative steps” to reduce tensions and show genuine commitments to a two-state solution.
Kerry described a wave of Palestinian knife and car-ramming attacks as “acts of terrorism” that must be condemned.
On Tuesday, a Palestinian drove his car into three Israeli soldiers and a paramilitary border policeman along a road in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, injuring all four, the army said. Kerry arrived in Boston from a one-day visit to the Middle East that included discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
“We are very concerned about the violence and the potential for the situation to spin out of control,” Kerry told reporters.
“I think we may be reaching a pivotal point now where both sides have important decisions to make for the future, and we obviously hope they make choices that will advance the prospects for lasting peace,” he said before leaving for the long U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Kerry added that the United States has been encouraging both sides to take “affirmative steps” to reduce tensions and show genuine commitments to a two-state solution.
Kerry described a wave of Palestinian knife and car-ramming attacks as “acts of terrorism” that must be condemned.
On Tuesday, a Palestinian drove his car into three Israeli soldiers and a paramilitary border policeman along a road in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, injuring all four, the army said.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
