The so-called “two-state solution” in the Middle East is "not an impossible dream" but requires courage, Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday, according to the AFP news agency.
The comments by Kerry were made to an Israeli gathering at the United Nations, where there was a commemoration of the 1975 speech delivered by then-Israeli ambassador Chaim Herzog denouncing a UN resolution that declared Zionism a form of racism.
"The Zionist dream embraces the concept of Israel as a Jewish democracy, a beacon of light to all nations," Kerry told the event.
"That dream can only be upheld by two states living side by side in security,” he declared, adding, "We all know from years of discussion and efforts: this is not an impossible dream. It is achievable."
Kerry argued that choosing to recognize a Palestinian state "demands courage, demands leadership" and likened that choice to Herzog's actions at the UN 40 years ago.
"Fear and bigotry can be defeated, but those are choices we now get to make. So now it's our turn," he said.
Kerry’s comments follow Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s statement this week, during a meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington, that he was still committed to the idea of “two states for two peoples”.
But officials in the Obama administration have admitted that it is unlikely that the “two-state solution” can be reached before Obama leaves office.
Speaking to reporters this week, White House spokesman Josh Earnest echoed those sentiments, saying officials in the Obama administration concluded that “a two-state solution was not going to happen while President Obama was still in office, and that even the possibility of talks about a two-state solution between the Israelis and Palestinians was unlikely over the course of the next 14 or 15 months."
Nevertheless, efforts for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement continue at the United Nations, where reviving the peace process is becoming a top agenda item at the Security Council.
Council members are weighing a draft resolution, presented by New Zealand, that declares the two-state solution as "the only credible pathway to peace" and demands that both sides prepare for new talks.
Kerry himself attempted to revive the stalled peace talks last year, but his efforts failed when the Palestinian Authority unilaterally applied to join international institutions, breaching the conditions of the talks.