John Kerry losing patience on Mideast peace talks

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State John Kerry expressed frustration on Friday with the sputtering Mideast peace talks, taking an unusually pessimistic tone as he indicated the Obama administration may pull back from the aggressive dealmaking effort that has dominated much of his tenure.

“There are limits to the amount of time and effort that the US can spend if the parties themselves are unable to take constructive steps,” Kerry told reporters in Morocco, adding that it was time for a “reality check.”

Kerry has spent nine months engaged in personal diplomacy, laying his own legacy on the line in the face of enormous odds and even public ridicule, only to thus far come up empty. While he seemed to be threatening to throw in the towel, Kerry also suggested the United States would continue looking for ways to keep some avenues open toward an Israeli-Palestinian solution.

“We are going to evaluate very carefully exactly where this is and where it might possibly be able to go,” Kerry said. He added that he would consult on future strategy with President Obama, who has given the secretary of state considerable leeway to try to reacha lasting pact...


   ...Other observers praised Kerry’s rare personal commitment and determination, but said seeking smaller goals may have been the wiser course. Gilead Sher, an Israeli Army colonel and lawyer who served as Israel’s lead peace negotiator a decade ago, said that Kerry made a mistake by constructing the talks around the goal of reaching a final deal.

The goal could have been to give Palestinians more responsibilities in certain areas; or steps that Palestinians could take to reduce the public incitement to violence still prevalent in their schools; or the cessation of Israeli settlement construction in Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.

“What you can do is create, little by little, a different reality that is apparent on the ground and people will see a change,” said Sher, who is now head of the Center for Applied Negotiations at the Institute of National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. “Instead, you have a secluded negotiation process out of sight of the respective constituencies.”

Sher said he was incredulous that in nine months Netanyahu and Abbas did not meet face to face a single time.

“They are a 12-minute drive apart from one another”, he said. “This is one of the big mismanagements of the process.”

For the full Article, as published on The Boston Globe - Click here