Kerry’s anti Israel speech wrongly focuses on Israel, not Palestinian Intransigence. 

In his speech, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spewed anti-Semitic, anti-Israel vitriol, lies, and policies that endanger innocent Israeli lives. 

Kerry proposed creating a Hamas-Fatah-Palestinian-Arab state, which will be a terrorist state,  in the Jewish heartland that divides Jerusalem in two, would forcibly evict 700,000 Jews from their homes in the lawful millennia-old Jewish homeland, and requires Israel to retreat to indefensible borders.

Kerry ignored that the Palestinian Authority (“PA”) rejected generous statehood offers in 2000 and 2008, refused to negotiate with Israel these past eight years, and instead promotes murdering Jews in PA schools, media and speeches; glorifies Jew-killers, naming schools and streets and sports teams after them; pays pensions to families of Jew-killers, (the more Jews they killed –the higher the pension);– making clear that the PA’s goal is Israel’s destruction, not a peaceful Palestinian-Arab state next to Israel.

Kerry also ignored that after Israel removed 21 Jewish “settlements” (communities) from Gaza, Gazan Arabs launched thousands of rockets at Israel. 

Kerry also called for easing “restrictions” (a euphemism for the weapons blockade) on Gaza.   This would enable Hamas to import more missiles to lob at Israeli citizens.

Kerry focused his attacks on Jews who dare to live in their own millennia-old homeland in Judea/Samaria/eastern Jerusalem – and glossed over the PA’s promotion of terrorism and murder.

Kerry also adopted the PA’s fraudulent, grossly exaggerated Arab population statistics to assert that Israel must chose between being a Jewish state and a Democratic state. Demography experts, including The American-Israel Demographic Research Group, have demonstrated that the PA double-counts and overstates the Arab population by 50%. Jews, in fact constitute 67% of all the people from Jordan to the Mediterranea

Kerry also promoted “justice” for Palestinian-Arab “refugees” (of which only about 30,000 remain) – but ignored the almost one million Jewish refugees who were forced from their homes in Arab countries when the Arabs invaded the newly-reestablished State of Israel in 1948. 

Kerry also exaggerated the Obama administration support for Israel.  Obama cut funding to the Iron Dome every year, and Congress restored this funding.   Obama’s administration also issued anti-Semitic labeling restrictions, and statements aiding anti-Israel boycotts, divestment and sanctions (including UNSC Res. 2334). Obama also pressured Israel not to respond strongly to Hamas rocket fire. Obama’s Iran deal, in which he never consulted Israel, provides a pathway to nukes and $150 billion to pay for more terrorism and more missiles, endangers Israel and even America.

Kerry also condemned Israel’s security checkpoints which are only there because of Arab terrorism. No Arab terrorism-no checkpoints.   Every U.S. airport and airports throughout the world have checkpoints because of Islamic terrorism.

Kerry also demanded that each side should adopt his proposals “without waiting for the other side.”  Thus, Kerry would have Israel endanger its citizens’ lives by removing checkpoints, without waiting for the PA/Hamas to stop knifing and shooting innocent Israelis.

Kerry did acknowledge that Hamas wants “one (Palestinian-Arab) state.”   But Kerry ignored that the PA also wants one Palestinian-Arab state that replaces Israel.  PA maps, stamps, official emblems and textbooks show no Israel and a “Palestinian state” supplanting all of Israel.  The PA calls Israel’s re-establishment in 1948 the “first occupation,” and lands Israel recovered while defending herself in 1967 the “second occupation.” PA president Abbas complained in a UN speech about “Israel’s occupation since 1948!”

Kerry did admit that settlements only comprise a tiny portion of Judea/Samaria, and that most Arabs in Judea/Samaria already live in areas under the PA’s authority.  But then Kerry falsely argued that the Jewish communities must be demolished because a Palestinian Arab state must be “contiguous” to be viable.  In fact, many countries (including Russia, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Malawi, India, Bangladesh, and the U.S.) have non-contiguous enclaves and exclaves, and are perfectly viable.  

Kerry also ignored that his “contiguous” Palestinian-Arab state would result in a non-contiguous indefensible Israel. 

Kerry also ignored that the entire Mandate was a trust designated for the Jewish homeland.  Completely reversing reality, Kerry falsely stated that Israel has 78% of the original mandate and Arabs were only left with 22%.   In fact, Britain chopped off 78% of the Mandate to establish the Arab Kingdom of Jordan – where many Palestinian-Arabs live, leaving Israel with only 22% and much of that land has been given to the Arabs by Israel.

Kerry also falsely denied that UNSC Resolution 2334’s anti-Israel statements were new and significant.  Prior UNSC resolutions calling for a settlement “freeze” did not claim that “settlements,” the Jewish quarter, Temple Mount, and Western Wall and the Mt. of Olives Cemetery, Hebrew University, the Knesset and hundreds of synagogues are on “occupied Arab land,” or turn 700,000 Jews living in the Jewish homeland into pariahs (or even criminals) who are living there illegally. 

Resolution 2334 also called for dividing Jerusalem.  Kerry now proclaimed he too wants to divide Jerusalem.

Kerry also praised the “Arab Peace Initiative” (API) – a proposal to destroy Israel.   API requires Israel to make every concession first, including dividing Jerusalem, withdrawing to indefensible lines, and permitting millions of alleged descendants of supposed Arab refugees to move into (and takeover) Israel – and says that Arabs nations will only then consider “normalizing” relations.

In sum, Kerry stabbed Israel in the back with lies.

Morton Klein is the president of the Zionist Organization of America.