AIPAC Livid Over ‘Offensive’ Kerry Warning on Israeli Apartheid

ADL: 'Unfair' to Suggest Israel Could Become Apartheid State

An exclusive last night from the Daily Beast quoted Secretary of State John Kerry expressing concerns about Israel’s future in the absence of a peace deal, insisting a two-state solution is the “only real alternative.”

In the comments, Kerry warned a one-state solution including the occupied territories wouldn’t work, because it would force Israel to either become “an apartheid state with second-class citizens,” or give up on the idea of Israel being a “Jewish state.”

Kerry’s comments sparked a flurry of condemnations, even though by and large they are the exact same “demographics bomb” argument in favor of the two-state solution that have been made for years, with AIPAC declaring the term apartheid “offensive” and “deeply troubling.”

The ADL echoed the condemnation, insisting it was “unfair” to suggest Israel might ever become an apartheid state, despite its already extremely checkered history of rights for religious minorities.

J Street, notably, issued a statement urging people not to waste energy condemning Kerry and instead focus on changing the policies to prevent the future Kerry warned of.

Instead of standing by his comments on the rare occasion he was actually right about something, the State Department quickly backtracked on the statement, insisting Kerry believes Israel is a super great “vibrant democracy” that wouldn’t think of doing anything but supporting equal rights.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.