Obama on Mideast piece.
President Obama gave a candid assessment of his administration's failed stab at Mideast peace:
"Both sides ... have found that the political environment, the nature of their coalitions, or the divisions within their societies were such that it was very hard for them to start engaging in a meaningful conversation," Obama told Time."And I think that we overestimated our ability to persuade them to do so when their politics ran contrary to that," Obama said. "From Abbas' perspective, he's got Hamas looking over his shoulder and I think an environment generally within the Arab world that feels impatient with any process."
"And on the Israeli front, although the Israelis I think after a lot of time showed a willingness to make some modifications in their policies, still found it very hard to move with any bold gestures," the president said.
I suspect this is not going to dissuade them from trying again, but with so many other vastly more urgent matters on his plate, it's hard to see why forcing these two parties to the table is a top priority.
(AP Photo)
