U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in a speech Wednesday following his visit to the region...the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, emphasized alacrity throughout the speech.
"There is a window of opportunity that we must seize by showing, with actions more than words, that it will not just be business as usual in the Middle East," he said.
Kerry said he would detail his recommendations in a private meeting with President Obama...
What distinguished Kerry's speech, delivered at the Saban Center [pro-Peace Now & Israel's Labour Party] of the Brookings Institution, were the specifics of how far the United States should go in achieving these goals...
...On West Bank settlements, Kerry said U.S. policy opposing expansion for decades has "existed on paper alone."
"Nothing will do more to make clear our seriousness about turning the page than demonstrating -- with actions rather than words -- that we are serious about Israel freezing settlement activity in the West Bank," Kerry said.
He refused to elaborate what actions except to say that he would bring them up in his meeting with Obama.
While other Obama officials have chosen to emphasize the two-state solution rather than directly rebut Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to stoke the Palestinian economy before considering statehood, Kerry was blunt.
"I do agree, absolutely, it is not an alternative," Kerry said when asked about Netanyahu's plan. "The economy is not an alternative to a two-state solution."
Well, you know what some people do with pieces of paper, Senator.
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