Palestinians: Kerry speech too little, too late

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.”