Kerry made several publicly reported comments during the [peace] talks that frayed his relationship with Jerusalem. He warned that Israel risked becoming an “apartheid state” if it did not reach a peace deal with the Palestinians, prompting protests by Israeli and US politicians. Kerry apologised. The secretary of state ignited another furore by warning that failure to reach a peace agreement would damage Israel’s capacity to be a democratic state and could lead to more boycotts. Israel’s defence minister, Moshe Ya’alon, called Kerry “obsessive and messianic” in his pursuit of an agreement. Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s intelligence minister, called his comments “offensive, unfair and insufferable”. Two weeks ago, Kerry, who was making a tour of the US Sunday talk shows, was recorded by an open Fox News microphone appearing to criticise Israeli claims of a measured approach to its strikes on Gaza. “It’s a hell of a pinpoint operation, it’s a hell of a pinpoint operation,” Kerry said, while on the phone to an aide. That Israel would wish to eavesdrop on its envoy is unlikely to surprise Washington but the allegation that it succeeded, along with another intelligence agency, may raise alarm.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 02:05:59 +0000
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