Hoping for a thaw

JOHN KERRY never loses hope when it comes to the peace process in the Middle East. The US secretary of state’s recent visit to the region, especially to the occupied territories in Palestine and then to Israel, was meant to redefine his agenda of getting the parties concerned back to the table so that they are able to strike a deal by the middle of next year. The State Department-backed peace talks, which mandated the second-tier representatives from Israel and Palestine to iron out thorny issues, hit a snag as Tel Aviv once again announced its settlements policy, promising to build more homes for Jewish settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. But some consolation did come for the Palestinians in the form of the release of prisoners from Israeli jails, which also included those who were being detained without trial for decades. Yet the format for talks could not be set, as trust was widely missing from both sides. This brought both the warring parties back to square one, compelling US President Barack Obama and Secretary Kerry to look into new avenues of persuasion.

Though he was unable to achieve a breakthrough in his whirlpool trip to the Mideast, he is optimistic that protracted talks are the only way out. The good point is that Kerry has been in the region for more than eight times this year and unlike his predecessor, who had literally out-sourced the process to a special envoy, the Vietnam veteran wants to ensure that a congenial ground is found at the earliest. Obama’s two-state solution forms the crux of negotiations wherein Israeli and Palestinian officials have to overcome contentious issues of border demarcation, distribution of natural resources and the right to return of displaced people before the sovereignty riddle is addressed. With much going on behind the curtains as Kerry dines in Ramallah and takes his breakfast in Tel Aviv, a breakthrough could not be ruled out in weeks or months to come.

The US eagerness to address the PalestinianIsraeli imbroglio is laudable