Secretary of State John Kerry repeatedly defended the U.S.'s decision to abstain from a vote on Israeli settlements at the State Department on Wednesday. A two-state solution, he said, is the only "path to peace," adding there is no "viable alternative."
He didn't stop there. Kerry went on to condemn the Netanyahu government as the most "right wing" in Israel's history, claiming that the "extremists" were the guiding force behind the settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. As such, the U.S. could not "in good conscience" provide them more legitimacy by supporting the settlements.
As you can imagine, Netanyahu's office has not taken too kindly to Kerry's assessment.
"The speech delivered by [Kerry]... was biased against Israel," the PMO said in a short statement."For more than an hour, Kerry obsessed over the issue of settlements and hardly touched on the root of the conflict - Palestinian resistance to a Jewish state with in any borders," the statement added.
In the days following the U.S.'s inaction on the UN resolution, Netanyahu has accused the Obama administration of helping to draft the agreement. Kerry vehemently denied that allegation in his speech, insisting the resolution did not originate in Washington.