The Jerusalem Post catches John Kerry in a stunning political backflip (hat tip: Tim Blair, via drdrake); here’s Kerry’s statement today on Israel’s security fence:

“It is ironic that this act of terror takes place on the eve of consideration by the International Court of Justice of Israel’s security fence. The court does not have and should not accept jurisdiction over this case,” Kerry said in a statement released by his campaign Monday.

“Israel’s security fence is a legitimate act of self defense,” he added. “No nation can stand by while its children are blown up at pizza parlors and on buses. While President [George W.] Bush is rightly discussing with Israel the exact route of the fence to minimize the hardship it causes innocent Palestinians, Israel has a right and a duty to defend its citizens. The fence only exists in response to the wave of terror attacks against Israel.”

Sounds good, right? Kerry the pro-Israel, anti-terror guy.

Except that in October, he said this to Michigan’s Arab American Institute:

“I know how disheartened Palestinians are by the Israeli government’s decision to build the barrier off of the Green Line – cutting deep into Palestinian areas,” Kerry said. “We don’t need another barrier to peace. Provocative and counterproductive measures only harm Israelis’ security over the long term, increase the hardships to the Palestinian people, and make the process of negotiating an eventual settlement that much harder.”

If you need further proof that this is a callow, pandering reversal for political gain, James Zogby says he sees no contradiction here:

James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, said he sees no contradiction between Kerry’s two statements.

“What he said in October displayed an understanding of Palestinian suffering and a specificity about that suffering that one doesn’t find typical in political statements,” he said. “It also laid blame for that suffering on the fact of occupation, which is both common sense and is also unusual.”