The US Secretary of State has accused Israel of threatening peace in the Middle East in some of America's harshest-ever public criticisms of its key ally.
John Kerry said Israel was not interested in finding a two-state solution to its conflict with the Palestinians and "believe in one state: greater Israel".
Mr Kerry said the US would have been guilty of a "dereliction of duty" if it had vetoed the UN vote to condemn Israeli settlements last week.
And he added that just because the US was Israel's ally it didn't mean it would stand by and not do anything when the future of Middle East peace was under threat.
In his final speech on the Middle East peace process, Mr Kerry said: "No one thinking seriously about peace can ignore the reality of the threat settlements pose to peace.
"But the problem goes well beyond just settlements. Trends indicate a comprehensive effort to take West Bank land for Israel and prevent any Palestinian development there."
He added: "The settler agenda is defining the future in Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state: greater Israel."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back in a short statement after the US Secretary of State's speech calling it "biased" and saying it "obsessively" focused on settlements and ignored the root of the conflict between to two sides.
He said it was a " great disappointment "
[skynews]
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