“Most importantly, Israel is, as everybody knows and we reiterate again and again, a critical ally and friend of the United States, and Israel continues to be facing significant challenges. We talked about those, and the ways in which, hopefully, with good effort by all leaders, we can try to change the direction and find a positive way to affect the lives of everybody – Israelis, Palestinians, people in the neighbouring countries – and move towards a more stable and peaceful future.” (US Secretary of State John Kerry speaking before his meeting with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Rome, 26/07/2016).