As if U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wasn't already facing enough difficulties in his efforts to renew Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, he now faces a personal obstacle as well -- the health of his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry. Heinz Kerry, 74, fell ill on Sunday and was hospitalized in critical condition.
Heinz Kerry, heir to the Heinz ketchup fortune, was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Sunday after first being brought by ambulance to a hospital on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, where the Kerrys have a home and often spend time during the summer.
On Monday, doctors evaluating Heinz Kerry's condition reported improvement, according to the State Department, but few details were disclosed about her illness.
Heinz Kerry showed symptoms consistent with a seizure, said a person in close contact with the family who was not authorized to speak publicly about Heinz Kerry's condition and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Doctors upgraded Heinz Kerry's condition, which was undergoing further evaluation, from critical to fair Monday after conducting tests, Glen Johnson, a spokesman for Kerry, said in a statement.
"The family is touched by the outpouring of well-wishes," Johnson added.
The secretary of state was at the hospital with his wife Monday and was undecided about his schedule for the immediate future, according to the State Department. Kerry had planned to travel to Israel this weekend for his sixth visit in recent months as part of his push to jump-start the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
This is not the first time that Kerry's wife has dealt with health trouble in recent years. In 2009, Heinz Kerry was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent lumpectomies on both breasts.
Heinz Kerry and John Kerry married in 1995. Heinz Kerry is the widow of former U.S. Sen. John Heinz, who was killed along with six others in a 1991 helicopter collision with a plane over a schoolyard in Pennsylvania.
Heinz Kerry's personal wealth is estimated at over $500 million.
Israeli diplomatic officials said on Monday that Heinz Kerry's health situation and the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan don't bode well for an imminent renewal of peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
Further complicating the situation is the fact that the Jewish High Holidays fall in early September before the U.N. General Assembly will convene later that month. The Palestinians are threatening to renew their unilateral effort to obtain U.N. recognition of Palestinian statehood at that meeting.
Kerry was supposed to arrive in Israel this coming Thursday. It is expected that he will cancel the trip due to his wife's health, but no official message on the matter has been received yet.
Meanwhile, an editorial published by The Washington Post on Monday called on Kerry to temper his expectations of what he can achieve in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
"Mr. Kerry has kept relatively quiet about his plans," The Washington Post Editorial Board wrote. "Wed like to believe that he recognizes that a peace deal is not feasible now and is aiming at useful interim steps, such as the economic development plan for the West Bank he has suggested or Israel scaling back settlement construction and yielding control of more West Bank territory."
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