Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday defended the controversial decision to abstain on a U.N. vote condemning Israeli settlements, saying the Obama administration wants to push a two-state solution for peace with Palestinians.

"That is what we are trying to preserve for our sake and (Israel's)," Kerry said. "We reject the criticism that this vote abandons Israel."

In a lengthy explanation of his vision for peace in the Middle East, Kerry assailed Israeli settlements on land claimed by Palestinians for an independent state as an obstacle to peace. Kerry said the settlements put prospects for peace in "jeopardy."

Kerry said a two-state solution, which calls for an independent Palestinian state existing peacefully alongside Israel, is the only way to guarantee the Jewish state's long-term security in the region.

“If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both," Kerry said.

Israel plans to approve new East Jerusalem settlements in defiance of U.N.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had condemned the United States for abstaining in Friday's Security Council vote, lashed out at Kerry's speech as "almost as unbalanced as the anti-Israel resolution passed at the U.N. last week."

"Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders," he said.

The sharp exchange represents another flare-up in the Obama administration's relationship with Israel. Netanyahu was a leading critic of last year's nuclear arms deal with Iran.

President-elect Donald Trump, another critic of the nuclear deal, wanted the United States to veto the United Nations resolution and attacked it after it passed.

Before Kerry's speech Wednesday, Trump tweeted, "We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"

Trump will be inaugurated as president Jan. 20.

The city of Jerusalem had planned to approve permits Wednesday for the construction of hundreds of homes for Israelis in East Jerusalem, but it postponed a vote, so Kerry could give his speech outlining the Obama administration's vision for peace.

The committee could approve the construction permits at a later date.

About 600,000 Israeli settlers live on land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem that both Israel and Palestinians claim rights to.

In addition to condemning Israeli settlements as a “flagrant violation” of international law, the U.N. resolution condemned Palestinian attacks on Israelis.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that he is ready to resume peace talks with Israel if it halts settlement construction.

Prospects for resuming long-dormant negotiations soon seem highly unlikely as long as Israel's government supports expanded settlements and Palestinians persist in attacking Israelis with knives and other weapons.

Kerry, acknowledging the difficulty of resuscitating peace talks, said Netanyahu's ruling coalition is “the most right-wing in Israel’s history.”

“The settler agenda is defining the future of Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state,” Kerry said.

The secretary, whose four-year tenure ends next month, revived his six-point plan for a peace agreement. That includes negotiated borders for Israel and a Palestinian state, formal recognition of each other's sovereignty and access to holy sites in Jerusalem.

The Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be their capital, but Israel has ruled out dividing the city that serves as its capital.