Diplomatic Fallout After Anti-Israel UN Resolution

A defiant Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday defended the U.S. decision allowing the United Nations to condemn Israeli settlements last week, saying the administration did so in the interest of preserving a “just and lasting peace” which he claimed is now threatened – even as Israeli officials describe the move as a betrayal.

During a farewell speech at the State Department, Kerry explained the decision in his most extensive terms yet. He said the U.S. could not “in good conscience” stand in the way of a resolution he said makes clear “both sides must act now to preserve the possibility of peace.”

“We did not take this decision lightly,” Kerry said.

The U.S. abstention on the U.N. Security Council resolution calling Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law allowed the measure to pass – and sent the already-turbulent relationship between the Obama and Netanyahu governments into its rockiest stretch yet.

Kerry said Wednesday the decision was about preserving a two-state solution, which he called the only way to a “just and lasting peace.”

But he said: “That future is now in jeopardy.”

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Israel braces for more tension with US ahead of Kerry speech - Israeli ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon speaks out on 'shameful' resolution on 'America's Newsroom'

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