(Washington Post) Editorial - President Obama and George Mitchell erred last year by raising expectations that a breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations could be achieved relatively quickly. Even now Arab leaders, who endorsed the new process last week, may hold lingering hopes that the U.S. president will impose a solution. Yet as the new administration discovered in 2009, there are limits to how far the U.S. can push Middle East diplomacy. On the whole it is better to have Israelis and Palestinians talking than not. But Mitchell must aim for a quick transition to direct negotiations - and he should avoid raising expectations about what they can accomplish.
2010-03-10 07:53:01Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive