Kerry Backpedals on Israel 'Apartheid' Remark

JERUSALEM, Israel -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry apologized for saying Israel could become an "apartheid" state if it fails to reach a two-state deal with the Palestinians.

Kerry, whose nine-month timeframe to reach a negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinians expires Tuesday, made the remarks to a group of international leaders in a closed-door meeting in Washington, D.C., on Friday.

Kerry's apology followed a hailstorm of criticism that included U.S. congressmen, Israeli lawmakers, and pro-Israel groups.

"First, Israel is a vibrant democracy and I do not believe, nor have I ever stated [before], publicly or privately, that Israel is an apartheid state or that it intends to become one," Kerry said.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said Kerry should apologize, while Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called on him to resign.

Anti-Defamation League National Director Abe Foxman called Kerry's choice of words "undiplomatic, unwise, and unfair."

"It is startling and deeply disappointing that a diplomat so knowledgeable and experienced about democratic Israel chose to use such an inaccurate and incendiary term," Foxman wrote on the ADL website.

"We appreciate Mr. Kerry's deep concern for Israel and his desires to ensure that it have a future of peace and security," Foxman continued.

"Even if he used the repugnant language of Israel's adversaries and accusers to express concern for Israel's future, it was undiplomatic, unwise and unfair," he wrote. "Such references are not seen as expressions of friendship and support."

On Sunday, The Daily Beast posted exclusive coverage of Kerry's remarks to the Trilateral Commission in Washington, which included an audio recording that Fox News aired Tuesday morning.

"A two-state solution will be clearly underscored as the only real alternative because a unitary state winds up either being an apartheid state with second-class citizens or it ends up being a state that destroys the capacity of Israel to be a Jewish state," he told the commission.

Kerry also warned that failure to reach an agreement could be met with increased Palestinian violence, a repeat of the same warnings last November, and Israeli and Palestinian leaders share the blame for the impasse.

His remarks reminded some of former President Jimmy Carter's book, Palestine: Peace or Apartheid, published in 2007, which accused Israel of stealing Palestinian land in Judea and Samaria.

"Apartheid is a word that is an accurate description of what has been going on in the West Bank," Carter wrote, "and it's based on the desire or avarice of a minority of Israelis for Palestinian land."

Kerry, meanwhile, promised to continue to pursue a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.