BACKGROUND
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced Friday that Israeli and Palestinian officials will meet soon in Washington. While this does not mean that both sides have agreed to formal peace talks for the first time since 2010, Middle East analysts say this is a hopeful sign and that Kerry's persistent diplomatic efforts are making progress. Read more >>
THE CARTOON
The cartoon by Adams from The Daily Telegraph depicts a scene which contains several clichés taken from western movies. John Kerry is the bartender in the Last Chance Saloon sliding a beer along the counter to two cowboys sitting side by side on barstools. The flags on the bandanas around their necks tell us that the cowboys represent Israel and Palestine.
EXPLANATION
The beer is a metaphor for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal (it's labelled "Deal", just in case you were in any doubt). The question is whether the cowboys will seize the beer (i.e., opportunity to reach a peace deal) as it passes in front of them, or whether it will end up in pieces on the floor like the other glasses (i.e., previous attempts at peace deals).
LANGUAGE
Last Chance Saloon was a popular name of a type of bar in the United States which began to appear in the 19th century. The term is commonly used as a metaphor to describe a difficult situation in which there is one final chance to put it right. • It was Tory Cabinet Minister David Mellor in 1991 who famously warned the UK popular press that they were "drinking in the Last Chance Saloon". • Paul Gasgoigne has been drinking in the last chance saloon and must now put down the bottle or he will die.
