BICOM

US Secretary of State John Kerry sparked disagreement among leading Israeli politicians over comments which suggested that the absence of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians encourages recruitment to ISIS.

Speaking at a State Department gathering to mark Eid al-Adha, Kerry said during discussions over the growth of ISIS, “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 … It was a cause of recruitment and of street anger.” He added, “And people need to understand the connection of that.”

Kerry’s comments were condemned by Economy Minister and Jewish Home head Naftali Bennett, who in reference to ISIS’s trademark beheadings said, “even when a British Muslim beheads a British Christian, there will always be those who blame the Jews.” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said that Bennett had either misunderstood Kerry, or was engaging in the “politics of distortion.” However, Bennett was joined by Likud’s Communications Minister Gilad Erdan, who candidly criticised Kerry, saying via social media that he “breaks new records of showing a lack of understanding of our region and the essence of the conflict in the Middle East.”

However, other senior politicians came to Kerry’s defence. Notably, Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon, who has himself in the past been critical of Kerry, emphasised the deep cooperation between Israel and the United States, adding, “The relations between the U.S. and Israel are based on common interests and shared values, and those should not be overshadowed by any disagreement of any sort.” Ya’alon headed to Washington yesterday for a five-day US trip, where he will meet senior American officials including his counterpart Chuck Hagel.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister and Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Lieberman also underlined American diplomatic support for Israel at the United Nations and material support for Israel’s security. In a veiled criticism of Bennett, Lieberman said “there’s no need to attack [Kerry] and make political hay over it.”