Israeli, Palestinian delegations meet in Washington for iftar dinner, July 29, 2013. Photo: REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
Arc Of A Failed Deal: How Nine Months Of Mideast Talks Ended In Disarray -- Jodi Rudoren and Isabel Kershner, New York Times
JERUSALEM — There were late-night video conferences with Secretary of State John Kerry, including one from beneath mosquito netting in an Indonesian hotel. Mr. Kerry met a total of 34 times with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, and about twice that with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.
Israeli and Palestinian representatives were summoned for talks in Amman, Jordan; Davos, Switzerland; London; Munich; Paris; Rome; and Washington. And Mr. Kerry’s peace envoy, Martin S. Indyk, trekked with a Palestinian leader to ancient ruins in Jericho.
In the last few weeks, even as both sides took steps that undermined the process, Mr. Kerry and his team produced a new package of incentives, including Palestinian autonomy for planning and zoning in Israeli-controlled parts of the West Bank. All sides left a meeting last Tuesday optimistic.
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Update: How Secretary Kerry's Bid For Peace Ended Up In Tatters -- Christa Case Bryant, Christian Science Monitor
My Comment: This "peace process" was more focused on the process of the talks .... not on the issues that needed to be resolved. I understand that a process is important .... if done right it will create the momentum and pressure to come to an agreement. But in the Middle East .... having and/or making a deal when it is under pressure has never resolved anything .... if anything it usually made the situation worse. As to what do I expect next .... a time-out is now necessary .... but expectations have been raised and it would not surprise me if the more extremists elements in the West Bank may use the excuse of this failure to start-up another intifada .... or worse.
