John Kerry on Palestine

John Kerry, particularly during his tenure as Secretary of State, maintained that the two-state solution is the sole viable path to achieving a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. He argued this was the only way to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state while ensuring freedom and dignity for the Palestinian people. Kerry repeatedly stressed that trends on the ground, such as violence, terrorism, incitement, and settlement expansion, were actively destroying the possibility of this future, leading toward an irreversible one-state reality that few desired.

His engagement culminated in late 2016 with a comprehensive speech laying out parameters for peace, which included secure borders based on 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, a resolution for Jerusalem, and an end to the occupation alongside guaranteed Israeli security. This push was accompanied by the decision to allow a UN Security Council resolution condemning settlements to pass by abstaining, as he felt a veto would give license to further settlement construction that he fundamentally opposed. He insisted this was done to preserve the two-state solution, not to abandon Israel, an ally he stressed the administration strongly supported.