U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013. Kerry waded again into the nitty-gritty of faltering Israeli-Palestinian peace talks on Wednesday, saying he was optimistic that tensions and difficulties could be overcome, even between “two proud people” struggling to reach an accommodation. Kerry was upbeat after separate meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jerusalem and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.(AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)