The State Department on
Friday rejected
Economic Minister Naftali Bennett's
accusations that Secretary of State John Kerry made a linkage between the
emergence of Islamic State and the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
In her remarks to the press, the State Department's deputy spokesperson, Marie Harf, said that Kerry's remarks were taken out of context "for political reasons."
In her remarks to the press, the State Department's deputy spokesperson, Marie Harf, said that Kerry's remarks were taken out of context "for political reasons."
Here is what Kerry said:
And so we have to stop and think about that in the
context of this challenge that we face today. I think that it is more critical
than ever that we be fighting for peace, and I think it is more necessary than
ever. As I went around and met with people in the course of our
discussions about the ISIL coalition, the truth is we – there wasn’t a leader I
met with in the region who didn’t raise with me spontaneously the need to try
to get peace between Israel and the Palestinians, because it was a cause of
recruitment and of street anger and agitation that they felt – and I see a lot
of heads nodding – they had to respond to. And
people need to understand the connection of that. And it has something to do
with humiliation and denial and absence of dignity, and Eid celebrates the
opposite of all of that.
The State Department
apparently thinks we do not understand English. Naftali Bennett had every reason
to interpret Kerry’s words the way he did.