WarSclerotic

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday addressed the importance of decreasing the global threat of nuclear weapons through continued diplomatic efforts, warning that the U.S. “will not succumb to fear tactics.”

Since the U.S. began engaging Iran following the election of President Hasan Rouhani, Israel and Saudi Arabia, both staunch U.S. allies, have made public remarks warning of the rapprochement, arguing that Iran is mainly playing for time so that it could complete its nuclear weapons program. Kerry’s remark could be understood as a rebuke to the Israeli and Saudi positions.

Kerry called on North Korea and Iran to comply to international nuclear nonproliferation guidelines. “Our eyes are wide open, the actions must be real, they must be fully verifiable, they must get the job done and no words can replace those actions, and we have made it crystal clear.”

Next month, Iran, Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany will meet in Geneva for a second round of talks. Washington and its allies believe Tehran is developing the ability to make a nuclear weapon, but Tehran says the program is for generating power and medical devices.

Stressing the importance of exploring diplomatic solutions to the nuclear standoff in a speech at the U.S. institute of Peace in Washington, Kerry said, “I suggest that the idea that the United States of America as a responsible nation to all human kind would not explore that possibility would be the height of irresponsibility and dangerous in itself and we will not succumb to those fear tactics and forces that suggest otherwise.”

Though he did not mention Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu specifically, some believe that his remarks were an indirect criticism of the Israeli prime minister who has voiced his objection to the weight attributed by the West to diplomacy with Iran.

Also Monday, Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by telephone and discussed Iran’s nuclear program, Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and other regional issues.

“The two leaders agreed to continue their close coordination on a range of security issues,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

Meanwhile, a senior Israeli diplomatic official involved in the peace talks with the Palestinians said on Monday that the positions of the two sides remain far apart.

“I don’t know how it will be possible to bridge the gaps,” the official said. “The key to change could be if the Palestinians give in.”

The official also questioned Kerry’s belief that the Israeli-Palestinian talks would be able to continue without imploding.

On Tuesday, Israel Radio reported that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has softened his opposition to reaching an interim peace deal with Israel. Until now, Abbas had insisted that any agreement cover all final-status issues, including Jerusalem and refugees.

Earlier this week, Netanyahu briefed government ministers about his recent meeting with Kerry in Rome. At Sunday’s cabinet meeting, the prime minister talked about the peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

“We want to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians,” Netanyahu said. “In this agreement, we will insist on the vital interests of the State of Israel, first of all security, of course … including our ability to continue defending our eastern border. We ascribe importance to the unity of Jerusalem and, of course, to the cancellation of the right of return.

“Regarding the issue of the Jewish state that comes up from time to time, we are not looking for the Palestinians to ratify our identity, our heritage and our connection to this land — this is not the problem from our point of view. We are demanding from them that at the end of the negotiations, they will renounce all their claims, including national claims, and that they recognize the national rights of the Jewish people in the State of Israel, and [recognizing] Israel as our national state is an integral part of their recognition that there are no national demands and no national rights in the State of Israel.”