Kerry: Israeli Hostility to Palestinian Unity ‘Appropriate’

May 31st, 2014

David Schulberg

Secretary of State John Kerry today defended Israel’s hostility to the incoming Palestinian unity government, insisting their response was entirely appropriate, and saying he thinks the US can get peace talks restarted.

Though Kerry claimed “Netanyahu and Israel are waiting to see what happens,” the Israeli government reacted to initial reports of a unity deal by declaring all future peace talks impossible.

Today, Israel vowed that it would blame Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for everything Hamas does from the formation of the unity government onward.

Of course, Israel already blames Hamas for everything done by anyone in the Gaza Strip, and blames the Palestinians in general for everything done there and elsewhere, so this isn’t so much a change in policy as a reiteration of their ongoing belligerence toward Palestinian unity.