U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's ambitions have run into the bitter reality of Middle East politics. After hitting the latest wall in his effort to forge a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians, Kerry announced that "it is reality check time" for whether negotiations can succeed.
Kerry is righly frustrated, given the obstinacy of the two parties for which he is trying to mediate. If they do not want peace and are not prepared to work to achieve it, then there is little Kerry, or the United States — or anyone — can do.
Since replacing Hillary Clinton as secretary of state a little over a year ago, Kerry has focused on the Middle East. Many believe that he sees a peace deal as the cap of his political career. The energy he has invested in that project suggests that the speculation is correct: He has made more than a dozen trips to the region since taking office, and twice detoured around his tour of Europe to handle recent difficulties.