Page 9 - atoday

A9
WORLD NEWS Thursday 29 december 2016

Israeli PM calls Kerry speech a ‘deep disappointment’

JOSEF FEDERMAN “I must express my deep
Associated Press disappointment with the
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s speech today of John Ker-
prime minister decried Sec- ry, a speech that was al-
retary of State John Kerry’s most as unbalanced as the
Mideast policy speech as anti-Israel resolution past at
a “deep disappointment” the U.N. last week,” Netan-
on Wednesday and vowed yahu said.
to work with the incom- He accused Kerry of pay-
ing Trump administration ing “lip service” to de-
to contain the fallout from cades of Palestinian vio-
last week’s U.N. resolution lence against Israelis, while
calling Israeli settlements il- spending “most of his
legal. speech blaming Israel for
Netanyahu’s angry state- the lack of peace.”
ment, delivered at a late- He repeated his position
night news conference that Israel is ready to pur-
shortly after Kerry’s address, sue peace through direct
capped a tumultuous week negotiations with the Pales-
in which years of tense rela- tinians. Netanyahu, whose
tions with President Barack government is dominated
Obama boiled over. by West Bank settler sup-
“We are not about to be porters who oppose Pal-
swayed by a mistaken pol- estinian independence,
icy that could cause big, says international dictates In this Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016 file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a week-
ly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
big damage,” Netanyahu in favor of the Palestinians Associated Press
said, speaking in English. undermine the negotiating
“Israelis do not need to be process.
lectured about the impor- “Israel looks forward to ed a West Bank settler ally and vowed to move the to Jerusalem, over Palestin-
tance of peace by foreign working with President- as his ambassador to Israel U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv ian objections.q
leaders.” elect Trump and with the
In a farewell speech at American Congress, Dem-
the State Department, ocrats and Republicans, to Germany: 54,000 migrants get
Kerry outlined his vision for mitigate the damage that
Mideast peace. While his this resolution has done
speech included criticism and ultimately to repeal it,” grants to return home in 2016
of Palestinian violence and he said. He expressed hope
incitement, his strongest that the Obama adminis-
words were aimed at Israel, tration will not pursue any BERLIN (AP) — German au- their countries of origin. people awarded grants
and its policy of settling its more moves against Israel thorities approved govern- About 35,500 people to leave voluntarily in the
citizens in occupied territo- at the U.N. in its remaining ment funding for more than obliged to leave Germany year’s first 11 months, mi-
ries claimed by the Palestin- time in office. 54,000 migrants to return to did so voluntarily in 2015, he grants from Albania com-
ians. He said the continued Netanyahu and Obama, their homelands this year, said, prised the single biggest
settlement growth is threat- who took office in 2009 just authorities said Wednes- noting that the two figures group, numbering 15,749,
ening the possibility of a months apart, have had day — paving the way for cannot be compared di- the Federal Office for Mi-
two-state solution, which chilly relations throughout a significant increase in vol- rectly because the num- gration and Refugees said.
Netanyahu has endorsed. their tenures. untary departures. ber of people who actually Other nations with signifi-
“The settler agenda is de- The Obama administration Germany is keen to in- departed in 2016 isn’t yet cant numbers included
fining the future of Israel. has been a vocal critic of crease the number of re- clear. 5,754 from Serbia, 5,373
And their stated purpose is Netanyahu’s policies and jected asylum seekers leav- Neymanns stressed that In- from Iraq, 5,130 from Koso-
clear: They believe in one questioned his commit- ing the country after last terior Minister Thomas de vo, 4,310 from Macedonia
state,” Kerry said. ment to peace. Netanya- year’s influx of 890,000 mi- Maiziere “has always said and 3,242 from Afghani-
He also defended Obama’s hu has harshly criticized the grants. voluntary returns are al- stan.
move last week to allow U.S.-led nuclear deal with Interior Ministry spokesman ways preferable to depor- Germany saw large num-
the U.N. Security Council to Iran. Harald Neymanns said the tation.” bers of people from
declare Israeli settlements Although Trump has not government has authorized As of the end of November, Balkan countries, who
illegal, the spark that set off outlined his Mideast policy, spending 21.5 million eu- 23,750 people were forcibly had slim chances of be-
a nearly weeklong diplo- he has signaled that he will ros ($22.5 million) this year deported from Germany. ing granted asylum, ar-
matic spat between Israel be much more sympathet- to send returnees back to Of the more than 50,000 rive in early 2015.q
and its most important ally. ic to Israel. He has appoint-