2. There were mea culpas aplenty in this part of the world last weekend. John Kerry – to whom few gave much hope of getting the equally stubborn Israelis and Palestinians to even agree to hold peace talks – appears to have got to first base, and if all goes well the two sides will sit down for preliminary discussions on Tuesday.
The leading liberal newspaper in Israel, Haaretz, has gone from describing America's newish Secretary of State as “like a naive and clumsy diplomat who has been acting like a bull in the china shop of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”, to hailing his achievement as transforming from “Mr Bean’s ultimate disaster to Tom Cruise’s mission impossible”.
And it’s not just the otherwise excellent Haaretz. Back in March, following Mr Kerry’s first visit, with his boss Barack Obama, I wrote that for all the Obamamania and stardust, the duo achieved virtually nothing on their visit.
So it’s hats off to Mr Kerry for his tenacity, hard work and bloody mindedness – the parties in this fragile part of the world are as close to direct negotiations as at any time during the past three years. Dealing with ideological factions on either side of the divide here must drive even seasoned diplomats to despair, and Mr Kerry’s achievement – if the Israelis and Palestinians do make it to negotiating table next week – should be acknowledged.
But now what? Having reached this stage in 2010, the talks collapsed within weeks (or hours, if some reports are to be believed). For all the plaudits, and his four-month marathon diplomatic effort, Mr Kerry did not get precisely what he wanted: he wasn't able to announce a resumption – no matter how it was spun – but rather that the two “reached an agreement that establishes a basis for direct final- status negotiations”. Speaking to senior Palestinian officials last week, it is clear that they already feel that what they say they were promised is now on shifting sand.
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