Perhaps significantly, a similar warning once came from retired U.S. Gen. James Mattis, who is Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defence. In 2013, shortly after his retirement, he told CNN that the U.S. pays a military and security price “every day” because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mattis also warned that Israeli settlements threaten the existence of Israel itself: “Either it ceases to be a Jewish state or you say the Arabs don’t get to vote — apartheid. That didn’t work too well the last time I saw that practised in a country. So we’ve got to work on this with a sense of urgency.”

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He’s right, of course. But given the high stakes, it will be fascinating to see what Mattis says about this issue during his Senate confirmation hearings later this month.

As the Trump administration prepares to take office with its apparent enthusiasm for the extremists who currently rule Israel, there was a historic poignancy about Kerry’s speech. It is likely the last constructive contribution on this issue coming from a U.S. government leader for years to come.