Officials: Kerry Way Out of His League in Talks

Officials said that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has 'almost no understanding of how things work in the Middle East'.

By David Lev

First Publish: 1/9/2014, 7:48 AM

US Secretary of State John Kerry, Flash 90

 

After weeks of diplomatic activity, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected in the coming days to present what is expected to be at least a temporary agreement or framework for peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, but senior Israeli officials are already dismissing the plan as “unsophisticated” and “unusable.”
The officials, quoted in Yisrael Hayom, said that Kerry had been rushing hither and fro in and attempt to hammer out details of what is expected to be the framework of what he would like to see implemented in order to pave the way for a final-status agreement. The framework is expected to lay out the final goals and eventual shape of a final-status deal, with Israel committing to give up land in Judea and Samaria, and the PA expected by Kerry to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and to back off on some of its demands.
But based on Kerry's public statements and conversations with them, the officials quoted said they don't expect anything useful to emerge from the process. “Kerry is here in the region a lot, but he has almost no understanding of how things work in the Middle East.
“As a result, the American plan is unsophisticated, and does not answer the needs of both sides,” the officials said. “There is no connection between the positive statements Kerry is making in public and the details of the deal. He is, to put it mildly, very unfamiliar with the roots of the conflict, and as a result is incapable of bringing true solutions to the table. He can't even read maps of the region properly,” the officials added.