Chuck Schumer, the incoming Senate Minority Leader criticized Secretary of State John Kerry for defending the decision by Barack Obama’s administration to allow the United Nations Security Council to move forward with a resolution that goes against Israel’s settlement policy. According to Schumer, Kerry’s move could cause drastic repercussions for both Israel and Palestine.
Earlier this week, the Obama administration made headlines once again after it decided not to veto the Security Council’s move against Israel. On Wednesday, Kerry addressed the issue through a speech that seems to be directed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Through a statement, Kerry slammed the Israeli government due to its policies on occupying territories that have been disputed by both Israel and Palestine. He also noted that even though Israel is one of the U.S.’ closest allies, Israel needs to learn about the “hard truths.” Kerry also said that Israel has to choose between being a democratic or Jewish state since traversing both paths would cause further conflict.
Following Kerry’s speech, Schumer warned that the U.S. decision not to fight the Security Council’s resolution could worsen the tension between Israel and Palestine.
“While Secretary Kerry mentioned Gaza in his speech, he seems to have forgotten the history of the settlements in Gaza, where the Israeli government forced settlers to withdraw from all settlements and the Palestinians responded by sending rockets into Israel,” he said according to The Hill.
“This is something that people of all political stripes in Israel vividly remember,” Schumer added.
The Democratic senator from New York then went on to say that Kerry’s speech as well as the White House’s stance on the issue could infuriate extremists groups in both Israel and Palestine.
“While he may not have intended it, I fear Secretary Kerry, in his speech and action at the [United Nations], has emboldened extremists on both sides,” Schumer said.
