Kerry's speech biased against Israel: Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said US Secretary of State John Kerry's Middle East speech on Wednesday was biased against Israel.

In a statement in English issued by the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu said: "Like the Security Council resolution that Secretary Kerry advanced in the UN, his speech tonight was skewed against Israel."

The Israeli leader said Kerry "obsessively dealt with settlements", which the United States strongly opposes, in the speech.

Netanyahu accused Kerry of barely touching upon "the root of the conflict - Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries".

US Secretary of State John Kerry had earlier insisted that the only way to secure a lasting peace between Israel and Palestinians is to negotiate a two-state solution to their conflict.

Explaining the US decision last week not to veto a UN Security Council vote to condemn Israeli settlement building, Kerry said: “The vote in the UN was about preserving the two-state solution.

“That’s what we were standing up for: Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state, living side-by-side in peace and security with its neighbours,” he said.

“The two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” Kerry said, but warned that solution was in “serious jeopardy”.