BICOM

Whilst it is easy to rattle off reasons why things won’t work out in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, it is important not to overstate these, nor to lose sight of factors which could play in favour of a successful outcome.

Fourth time lucky?

If a sustained period of final status negotiations does indeed follow US secretary of state John Kerry’s announcement on Friday, it will be the fourth attempt to negotiate a final status agreement.

The first two attempts – under Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat in 2000, and under Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas in 2008 – saw substantial narrowing of the gaps but no deal.

The third attempt, between Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas in 2010, collapsed when the Palestinians abandoned the talks after just three weeks, due to the expiry of an Israeli settlement moratorium.

The stakes therefore are high, as a fourth failure will increase questions over the viability of a negotiated agreement. What then are the chances this time of the parties getting into a serious process and actually reaching a deal?

Read this article in full at Left Foot Forward.