WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama in an interview with Time magazine yesterday said his administration had overestimated its ability to convince the parties to the Middle East conflict to return to the negotiating table."The Middle East peace process has not moved forward," Obama said. "I think it's fair to say for all our efforts at early engagement, it is not where I want it to be."
| No kidding. Join the club, O Enlightened One, of all the presidents since Eisenhower. So your charm didn't persuade the Juice and the Gazooks to kiss and make up? Next you'll tell us that the oceans are still rising. |
Netanyahu expressed readiness to resume talks but said the Palestinians had adopted a strategy of refusing to negotiate. He maintains that following Israel's unilateral 10-month freeze on construction in settlements he would not agree to additional gestures to bring the Palestinians back to peace talks unless the Israeli moves were met by reciprocal Palestinian ones.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said yesterday that Netanyahu had managed to thwart Obama's efforts at bringing about a peace agreement. Erekat refused to elaborate on expectations for today's meeting between Mitchell and Abbas but rejected recent suggestions that the Americans negotiate with Israel on behalf of the Palestinians.
A source close to Abbas said that from what the Palestinian side knows the U.S. envoy is not bringing any new ideas. The source cited recent comments by Netanyahu about the military importance of the Jordan Valley and Defense Minister Ehud Barak's approval of upgraded status of the college in the West Bank settlement of Ariel as examples of the reasons for Palestinians' lack of faith in the Israeli side.
In his interview with Time Obama said: "If we had anticipated some of [the] political problems on both sides earlier, we might not have raised expectations as high."
| A more experienced public servant might have known not to raise expectations, eh? |
The Israelis "after a lot of time showed a willingness to make some modifications in their policies" but "still found it very hard to move with any bold gestures," Obama said.
The U.S. president nonetheless promised to continue working with both sides for the establishment of two states for two peoples providing Israel with security and giving sovereignty to the Palestinians.
| President Palin no doubt will be saying the same thing in 2013 ... |