The unexpected and serious deterioration of the health of Teresa Heinz Kerry may delay or cancel a reportedly record sixth visit by America’s top diplomat to the Middle East. But if and when US Secretary of State John Kerry does make it to the region, he will find it even more troubling than it was when he left just a couple of weeks ago.

The events in Egypt have been unfolding dramatically amid the total absence of any real role for the world’s most powerful country. In fact, in an unusual reversal, US officials, including President Barack Obama, are accused of being more supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood than the democratic and liberal elements in Egypt.

If and when Kerry does return to the region, it would be with the continued hope of restarting direct Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. The talks have been stuck for years because of Israel’s insistence not to stop or suspend its settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories. Palestinian leaders are also refusing to return to the talks until the Israelis accept the concept of the two-state solution based roughly on the 1967 borders as the basis for negotiations. The Netanyahu administration is on the record as agreeing to the two-state solution provided that such a state is unarmed, and that Palestinians publicly recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people.

Continuous US involvement in the talks seems to have produced a way to finesse most of the preconditions of both sides — even though the Israelis are saying they are willing to talk without preconditions. Palestinians insist that their demands are not preconditions, but rather the internationally accepted requirements for peace as stipulated by various international agreements and declarations.