MIDEAST CONUNDRUM

Among the recent US Secretaries of State, John Kerry stands out as an astute American diplomat, who commands respect across the world for being more proactive and persuasive than his predecessors were. The Vietnam War veteran carries with him the credentials of a diplomat who successfully and untiringly pursues the world causes he embarks on.

Since donning the mantle of Secretary of State, Kerry has demonstrated a remarkable sense of commitment to resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict. This can be borne by the numerous visits Kerry has made to the Middle East in the last few months, besides the couple of unannounced visits the diplomat has made to the region to give backstage diplomacy a chance of success.

In fact, so assertive has been Kerry in making the peace deal a reality, between Arabs and Israelis, that he has become bete noire of Israel’s inner political circles. Early this year, Israel’s defence minister, Moshe Yaalon, remarked that Kerry “operates based upon an unfathomable obsession and messianic feeling”. Although Israeili official later apologised to the US for the disparaging comments, it was enough to reflect the domestic thinking of Israeli right-wingers.

While Kerry has invested a considerable amount of time and effort in the Middle Eastern quagmire, the sad fact is that he is far from achieving anything tangible from his shuttle diplomacy in the region. Beyond ascertaining the respective positions of the Palestinians and Israeilis, the US is quite a way off from brokering a lasting peace deal that has eluded the region for decades.