2nd LD Writethru: Two-state solution only way to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace: U.S. top diplomat

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday only two-state solution can achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

By describing his thoughts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "candid," Kerry issued one of the Obama administration's most outspoken criticisms of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu five days after the United States in a rare move let pass a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlement on occupied Palestinian territory.

"Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy," said Kerry here at a press conference. "We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away."

Though the 70-minute speech covered a sweeping range of elements of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the incitement of violence, Kerry made it clear that his focus was the Israeli settlement.

"The Israeli prime minister publicly supports a two-state solution, but his current coalition is the most right-wing in Israel history with an agenda driven by the most extreme elements," said Kerry.

"The result is that policies of this government, which the prime minister himself just described, as more committed to settlements than any in Israel's history are leading in the opposite direction. They are leading towards one-state," he added.

In a sharp jab at Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition, Kerry pointedly pushed back the Israeli rational behind settlement activity that settlement expansion was important for Israel's security.

"Leaders of the settler movement are motivated by ideological imperatives that entirely ignore legitimate Palestinian aspirations," said Kerry. Enditem