As Secretary of State John Kerry headed home from his first solo visit to Israel, reports indicate that he made very little progress in restarting peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted more emphasis on “recognition and security” for Israel. He would also like the focus to be on recognizing the existence of the “Jewish state” and allowing an “Israeli military presence along the Jordan Valley.”
As he prepared to depart Israel, Kerry said he was leaving with “homework” he needed to do in order to secure a restart of the negotiations; he claim “doing it right is more important than doing it quickly.”
Kerry appeared to being trying to offset the lack of progress when he said, “[It’s] not just about getting the parties back into direct negotiations, it’s about getting everybody in the best position to succeed.”
Kerry did not indicate when he will be returning to Israel but did say he believes “an accumulation of trips will eventually lead to something.”