10 things you need to know today: December 29, 2016

Kerry criticizes Israel over West Bank settlements, Obama designates two new Western national monuments, and more

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1. Kerry and Netanyahu trade jabs over Israeli settlements in Palestinian areas

Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday criticized Israel for continuing settlement construction in the West Bank, saying it was preventing progress toward a two-state peace deal with the Palestinians. Kerry said that to keep peace hopes alive, the U.S. had to allow the recent approval of a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the settlements, instead of vetoing it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Kerry's speech disappointing and "unbalanced," saying it was "obsessively focused" on settlements while only paying "lip service to the unremitting Palestinian campaign of terrorism" against Israel.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.