US Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up three days of shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East on Tuesday. Despite his own positive evaluation of the visit, it seems the Israelis and Palestinians are still as far apart as ever and the prospects for breaking the four-year impasse between the two sides remain bleak.

Kerry's third visit to the region in less than a month came on the heels of US President Barack Obama's first visit to Israel and the West Bank last month. Such intense diplomacy conducted by the United States in the region indicates Washington at least appears to be redoubling its efforts to coax the two rivals back to the negotiating table.

This is consistent with the view that breaking the Palestinian-Israeli deadlock and resuming direct negotiations occupy an important niche in Obama's foreign policy agenda during his second term.

However, judging by the results of both Obama's and Kerry's visits to the region, it seems the US intends to start with the less important issues.

The most noteworthy achievement of Kerry's meeting with Palestinian and Israeli leaders this week seems to be the two rival's consensus on providing economic assistance to the Palestinians. Yet the two obstacles that the US needs to deal with to restart peace negotiations remain unaddressed.

Israel demands that the Palestinians recognize it as the homeland of the Jewish people, while the Palestine side insists Israel reinstate a settlement construction freeze on the West Bank as a precondition for talks. So far, both sides have refused the other's demand.

If the White House really wants to achieve something in restarting the Middle East peace process, it needs to use its sway in the region and strive for a breakthrough in the issues standing between the two rivals, otherwise it may face a credibility problem in the region.

Since Obama delivered his famous speech in Cairo in 2009, extending an olive branch to the Muslim world and offering his support to the state of an independent Palestine as a United Nations member, Washington has promised much but delivered little.

The multiple woes the region is facing today can be traced back to the US failure to engage with the Muslim world. The chance of substantial headway will remain slim, until the real regional woes are properly handled.

(China Daily 04/12/2013 page8)