- A Construction Site in Efrat
By Felicia Schwartz: John Kerry’s speech on the Mideast peace process has drawn an exceptionally sharp reaction in Washington, with lawmakers in both parties warning it could further inflame the fraught state of the relations between Israel and the Palestinians that the secretary of state described.
Some top Democrats including incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said the speech, which attempted to defend and preserve President Barack Obama’s approach to resolving the conflict, could yield the opposite effect, leading to an unraveling of the long-held push for a two-state solution. “While he may not have intended it, I fear Secretary Kerry, in his speech and action at the United Nations, has emboldened extremists on both sides,” Mr. Schumer said in a statement late Wednesday.