(New York Times) Mark Landler - President Obama, stung by his second failed attempt to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, has decided to take a conspicuous breather from the Middle East peace process, a senior administration official said, "to let the failure of the talks sink in for both parties, and see if that causes them to reconsider." While the president believes there is time for another American-led peace initiative before he leaves office, the official said, he is determined to wait until the Israelis and Palestinians approach the U.S. with their ideas for how to revive the process. That means it is unlikely that Obama will lay down principles for resolving the conflict. For now, Obama has instructed Secretary of State John Kerry to shift his attention to nuclear negotiations with Iran, the crisis in Ukraine, and the longer-term American strategic shift to Asia.
2014-05-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive