After the Israeli Election: What Will Get Israelis Enthused About the Peace Process Again

Jim Lederman

Jim Lederman, journalist

Tuesday, February 10, 2015
7:30 p.m.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and the Europeans have made it clear that they expect that after a new Israeli coalition government is formed, Israel’s first order of business will be a renewal of (an American mediated) peace process. The fact is, though, that every American mediation effort has failed.
In the past, Washington has placed most of the blame for past peace-making failures on the Israelis. However, the Americans also share much of the responsibility for failure because they have been ignorant of or have ignored the unique nature of the Israeli political system.
Basing himself on a study he did of more than 5000 documents and transcripts, Jim Lederman, in his talk, will lay out how the nature of the Israeli political system (including electoral politics) has affected peace negotiations in the past, and how mediators, if they are really serious, can rally the Israeli public to support another round of talks with the Palestinians.