WASHINGTON John Kerry said Israeli and Palestinian mutual mistrust remains high, and the US secretary of state expressed frustration with the issue of recognizing Israel as a Jewish state.
Kerry fielded questions about the Israeli-Palestinian peace process for two days last week from congressional committees probing his departments budget requests.
I do believe both parties are serious, Kerry told the foreign operations subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee of the US House of Representatives on March 12.
Both parties want to find a way forward. But, each of them you know, the level of mistrust is as large as any level of mistrust Ive ever seen. On both sides. Neither believes the other is really serious. Neither believes that both that the other is prepared to make some of the big choices that have to be made here.
Read related IJN blog posting, “Principle or pretext?” on Rocky Mountain Jew
Kerrys pessimism, weeks before he is to unveil a framework for advancing the process, is in marked contrast to the optimistic tone of his chief negotiator, Martin Indyk, who just two months ago described substantial advances in a conversation with Jewish leaders.
Since then, Israeli officials have expressed reservations about proposals to replace Israels presence in the Jordan Valley with technological substitutes, and Palestinians have stood fast on not recognizing Israel as a Jewish state.
That issue, particularly, appeared to frustrate Kerry.
He noted that the UN recognized Israel as such in 1947 and said that the late Palestinian leader, Yasir Arafat, had done so twice.
I think its a mistake for some people to be raising it again and again as the critical decider of their attitude toward the possibility of a state and peace, and weve made that clear, he said last week, addressing the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
It was not clear whether Kerry believed the mistake in this case was Israels, or the Palestinians; or whether both were to blame.
However, he appeared to be endorsing the premise of a question posed to him by Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), who blamed Palestinians for the impasse.
Youre absolutely correct, Kerry said, in starting his answer.
A JTA request for clarification from Kerrys aides was not answered.
In an earlier exchange, Kerry had told Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, that one way past the Jewish state impasse was to make clear in any agreement that the rights of non-Jews would be preserved.
As long as recognition includes a nod to equal rights and non-discrimination against any citizen, Kerry said, the likelihood increased of Arab and Palestinian acceptance of Israel as a Jewish state.
Kerry, in his remarks to both committees, stressed his commitment to Israels security.
