Benjamin Netanyahu condemns John Kerry's speech as 'biased' against Israel
Israel's prime minister says Mr Kerry's speech was 'skewed' against his country
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced Secretary of State John Kerry's Middle East speech as "biased" against his country.
"Like the Security Council resolution that Secretary Kerry advanced in the UN, his speech tonight was skewed against Israel" he said in a statement.
Mr Kerry "obsessively dealt" with Israel's building of Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories in his speech, Mr Netanyahu added.
The Israeli leader also accused Mr Kerry of barely touching upon "the root of the conflict", which he called: "Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries".
The outgoing US Secretary of State had outlined a series of principles he said could form the basis of a future peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians, with the likely participation of the United States.
He said there must be a two-state solution that includes a "secure and recognised border" between Israel and any future state of Palestine.
An agreement must help Palestinian refugees, designate Jerusalem as a capital for both states and satisfy Israel's security needs, he added.
While Mr Netanyahu was strongly critical of Mr Kerry's speech, one prominent Israeli opposition politician gave it a warm reception.
Yaakov Peri, a former chief of Israel's Shin Bet security agency, praised what he called mr Kerry's "balanced speech, based on reality and facts."
Mr Peri, a member of the centrist Yesh Atid party, which sits in the opposition to Mr Netanyahu's Likud party in the Israeli parliament, added that Mr Kerry had drawn attention to the "harsh and dramatic consequences" of a single binational state.
This is a breaking news story. More follows...
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments