BRUSSELS -- British Prime Minister Theresa May condemned a blunt speech this week by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on the state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Kerry on Wednesday offered a harsh assessment of the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, "His current coalition is the most right wing in Israeli history, with an agenda driven by its most extreme elements." He criticized persistent Israel settlement expansion on the West Bank as a threat to the "two-state solution" under which Israel and a new Palestinian state would exist side by side.
May's office retorted that "we do not believe that it is appropriate to attack the composition of the democratically elected government of an ally." It said in an emailed statement late Thursday that "we are also clear that the settlements are far from the only problem in this conflict. In particular, the people of Israel deserve to live free from the threat of terrorism, with which they have had to cope for too long."
The move was an olive branch both to Netanyahu and to President-elect Donald Trump, who railed against the decision by President Barack Obama's administration to abstain from a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the settlements and who has urged Israel to "stay strong" until he assumes office Jan. 20. The U.S. had previously vetoed other U.N. resolutions against Israel. Trump has expressed near-unconditional support for actions by the Israeli government, breaking with long-standing U.S. policy that has sought a middle ground between the two sides.
Kerry's speech and the U.S. abstention in the Security Council vote were received warmly by Germany and France, among other European nations. After that support, the message from May's office led to a stunned reaction in Washington.
"We are surprised by the U.K. Prime Minister's office statement given that Secretary Kerry's remarks -- which covered the full range of threats to a two-state solution, including terrorism, violence, incitement and settlements -- were in line with the U.K.'s own long-standing policy and its vote at the United Nations last week," the State Department said in a statement.
British leaders publicly have embraced Trump since his victory last month, despite his urging that Nigel Farage, a lead campaigner for the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, be named British ambassador to Washington. The U.K., which is preparing to negotiate the terms of an exit from the EU, is hoping that a strong economic relationship with the United States will help smooth out the disruptions.
This week, Britain's ambassador in Washington, Kim Darroch, expressed hope that Trump and May would build "on the legacy of previous leaders such as President [Ronald] Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher."
The Australian government also distanced itself Friday from the Obama administration's stance on settlements and the U.N. resolution.
Australia supports negotiations leading to two independent states, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. But she said that Australia -- which is not a member of the Security Council where the vote was taken -- did not support the U.N. resolution condemning settlements.
"In voting at the U.N., the coalition government has consistently not supported one-sided resolutions targeting Israel," the statement said.
Kerry, in his hourlong speech Wednesday, said Israeli settlement activity, which has accelerated in recent years, was extending far into the West Bank, "in the middle of what, by any reasonable definition, would be the future Palestinian state."
"No one thinking seriously about peace can ignore the reality of what the settlements pose to that peace," Kerry said.
Information for this article was contributed by Carol Morello of The Washington Post.
A Section on 12/31/2016