On that note, the current situation in Israel has become dire. One of the biggest points of contention is the issue of Israeli settlements and how they affect the Western policy of wanting a two-state solution in Israel. The two state solution involves letting Palestine become a country along with keeping Israel a country as well. Israel would give up the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to Palestine in order to make this work. The biggest obstacle into letting this happen is the host country itself: Israel
Today Secretary of State John Kerry unleashed his frustration towards Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine land. These settlements are for Israeli citizens only even though they are in Palestine. If this isn't a form of apartheid then we need to change the definition of apartheid.
In his statement Secretary Kerry places blame on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying "their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state, greater Israel." The Obama Administration as well as the previous administrations of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have worked with the Israeli government to try and bring Israel and Palestine to an agreement that would hopefully lead to the creation of Palestine and some long-needed peace in the region.
There isn't much left for Kerry to do since he has three weeks left in his position except to vent and show the world how worried he and the Obama administration are at the future Trump-Netanyahu partnership.
Before Kerry's statements about the two-state solution collapse Trump tweeted about his eagerness to work with Netanyahu:
We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but.......— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016
His tweet are in reference to the latest United Nations Resolution in which the United States voted to condemn the settlements. Kerry gave an hour-long speech against the settlements that included the following quote: "If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it won't ever live in peace." The Israeli PM was none to pleased with his speech saying in a video that Kerry attacked "the only democracy in the Middle East." Trump is a pro-settlement person and so is his suggestion for the Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. They will definitely be working with Netanyahu making sure that:not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016
- Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands continue
- The discontinuation of the 40-year policy of achieving the two-state solution.
This is further exacerbated by Netanyahu tweeting back to Trump:
It is quite worrying that President-Elect Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will be working together in the near future. You have the man that wants to build a wall at the Mexico-US border working alongside the man that has these walls to keep the Palestinians at bay. The Palestinians will further suffer under this new partnership sadly and there is the possibility of Israel being a more dangerous place to live.President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel! 🇮🇱🇺🇸@IvankaTrump @DonaldJTrumpJr https://t.co/lURPimG0wS— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) December 28, 2016
Another aspect to ponder: How much influence will Netanyahu and the Israeli government have on Trump with immigrants here in the United States? The wall is one thing, but what else? It's a scary thought to think that we might be looking at segregation/apartheid here in the United States after spending so many years trying to make this country more egalitarian.
40 years of trying to bring peace to the Holy Land and by mid-January it will go straight down the drain.
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