Loud silence after Kerry confers with Obama on Mid East talks

No word has come from US Secretary of State John Kerry’s meeting Tuesday with President Barack Obama for an evaluation of the process which he kicked off 13 months ago for a final accord between Israel and the Palestinians. Kerry has been under fire in Washington over the stalled process and advised to admit failure and call it a day. Talking to reporters Tuesday, Kerry blamed Israel for the breakdown. He said Binyamin Netanyahu balked at releasing Palestinian prisoners and instead “approved 700 new housing units in Jerusalem settlements.” The Secretary omitted to mention Israel’s action was precipitated by the Palestinian application to join 15 international agencies and conventions in defiance of their commitments and refusal to extend negotiations beyond the deadline this month. Later the State Department hastened to deny that he blamed Israel.