
US Secretary of State John Kerry’s efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza have made him and the White House the subject of blunt criticism within Israel, adding tension to an already strained diplomatic relationship.
Kerry spent much of last week shuttling between Cairo, Tel Aviv and Ramallah trying to end the three-week Israeli offensive, which has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, many of them civilians.
The shuttle diplomacy marked his first visit to the region since April, when months of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority collapsed over the former’s refusal to honour the final round of a prisoner release.
Kerry's meetings ended on Friday night with a draft calling for an immediate ceasefire, with further discussions in Cairo about a permanent truce.