WASHINGTON: Linking the rise of extremism to unresolved political disputes, US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Israel and Palestinians to resume their peace process.

He said that as he went around and met people in the course of discussions about the ISIS coalition, there wasn’t a leader who didn’t raise spontaneously the need to try to get peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Mr Kerry was talking about his recent visits to the Middle East to mobilise allies in the fight against ISIS extremists.

The leaders he met saw the Israeli-Palestinian dispute as the “cause of recruitment and of street anger and agitation” they often faced, said Mr Kerry while noticing that many in his audience also agreed with this perception.

Mr Kerry was addressing a gathering of Muslim citizens and diplomats who attended the first-ever Eid ul Azha reception at the State Department.

“I see a lot of heads nodding,” said Mr Kerry while saying that his hosts in the Middle East told him that they had to respond to the anger and frustration caused by this unresolved dispute at a regular basis.

“It is imperative that we find a way to get back to the negotiations,” he said.

Earlier at a conference on the reconstruction of Gaza, Mr Kerry urged Israel and the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table.

“We need … to find a way to create two states that can live together side by side, two peoples, with both of their aspirations being respected,” he said.

“I still believe that’s possible, and I still believe we need to work towards it.”

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2014