The Middle East has long been a graveyard for the diplomatic ambitions of U.S. presidents. There has been some progress in normalizing relations between Israel and its neighbors, but a real settlement of the Israel-Palestine conflict and the realization of genuine peace between Israel and its neighbors remain stubbornly out of reach. The week before last, U.S. President President Barack Obama launched his own initiative, inviting Israel and the Palestinians to try once again to build an enduring peace. While he is right to try, there is little reason to believe he will succeed where his predecessors did not.

Mr. Obama promised during the 2008 presidential campaign that he would tackle the problem early in his presidency. His readiness to engage was another way in which he contrasted himself with his predecessor, Mr. George W. Bush, who had preferred to keep his distance from the Middle East.

Mr. Bush was a strong supporter of Israel and had a deep distrust and dislike of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. His preference to keep a distance was reinforced by the failure of talks between the two antagonists that had been brokered by Mr. Bill Clinton in the waning days of his administration. Mr. Bush's "anything but Clinton" position was spurred by the belief that U.S. presidents had squandered credibility by pushing the two sides toward a deal that neither was prepared to accept.