The Middle East Peace Process: Analysis from a Former Negotiator

The following is an excerpt from prepared remarks submitted to the Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism. To read the full testimony, download the PDF above.

The U.S. role in the peace process can take a number of forms—convening talks between the parties; offering incentives and disincentives to open a wider zone of possible agreement between them; and helping them devise bridging proposals when we deem their interests compatible even though their stated positions may not be. What we cannot do, however, is take the place of the parties themselves or simply promulgate a deal—no peace agreement can succeed unless it has minimally sufficient political and popular support on both sides. This is not to say that the United States cannot stake out positions in a manner that moves the talks forward...