What follows is a summary of the three areas of friction in the Middle East this past week. The negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians are sluggish. US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to arrive in Israel next week to demand that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally present Israel’s positions on key issues.

In Syria, the dismantling stage of the infrastructures for the production of chemical weaponry has been completed. A “foreign element” — Israel, according to the Arab media — has carried out another strike in Latakia and in Damascus. The Syrians turn a blind eye while Israel keeps mum. The negotiations between Iran and the world powers are expected to resume shortly. Meanwhile, everyone is asking where Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has disappeared to. Many in Israel believe that if Khamenei were to phase out of the political map, a true, historic change could take place following the election of Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani.

In more detail, this is what took place:

This week, Oct. 30, Israel released the second batch of prisoners, all of whom were serving multiple life sentences for murder, by way of a gesture for the resumption of the negotiations with the Palestinians. That same day, the parties held another meeting, which — if my memory serves me right — is the 14th or 15th. Achievements? There are none. The atmosphere is reasonable, yet the results are poor.