John Kerry apologises for Israel 'apartheid' remarks

A firestorm broke out on Capitol Hill Monday over Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly saying Israel could become an "apartheid state," with the No. 2 House leader saying he should apologize and a Republican senator calling on him to resign. By the end of the day, though, the secretary was edging away from his comments. While defending his support for Israel, he said "apartheid" is a word "best left out of the debate here at home." "I have been around long enough to also know the power of words to create a misimpression, even when unintentional, and if I could rewind the tape, I would have chosen a different word to describe my firm belief that the only way in the long term to have a Jewish state and two nations and two peoples living side by side in peace and security is through a two state solution," Kerry said. The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has apologised for warning that Israel risked becoming an "apartheid state" if it did not reach a peace deal with the Palestinians, following a barrage of criticism in America. In a statement, Kerry hit back at what he described as "partisan political" attacks against him, while stating that in retrospect he would have chosen a different word. He said that apartheid was "a word best left out of the debate [in the US]" despite the fact that there have been similar warnings from senior Israeli politicians. Kerry insisted his remarks were only an expression of his firm belief that a two-state solution was the only way to end the long-running conflict. Kerry's reported comments, and his retraction, come at a sensitive time for the peace process, suspended by Israel last week after the agreement between the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Hamas to reconcile and try to form a unity government.Secretary of State John Kerry issued an unusual statement Monday evening expressing his support for Israel after a controversy erupted over a politically charged phrase he used in a private appearance. Speaking to a closed-door meeting of the Trilateral Commission last week, Mr. Kerry said that if a Middle East peace agreement was not achieved, Israel risked becoming an “apartheid state,” according to an article in The Daily Beast, an online publication. The comments were noted in the Israeli news media and were severely criticized by some American Jewish organizations. “Any suggestion that Israel is, or is at risk of becoming, an apartheid state is offensive and inappropriate,” the American Israel Public Affairs Committee said. “Israel is the lone stable democracy in the Middle East, protects the rights of minorities regardless of ethnicity or religion.”