As I write, the peace negotiations seem precariously balanced. The news in the last few days have been dominated by stories about the difficulties, and the tragedy of another brutal and cowardly murder of an Israeli on his way to Seder night.

This is all too familiar. There have been too many false starts, too many processes that stumble on mistrust and short-term calculations. The impact is clear. Most Israelis – and Palestinians – badly want peace, and an end to a conflict that has claimed too many lives, cost too much money, caused too much pain. Yet few are optimistic that such a peace can happen.

The road to peace is never an easy one. It is invariably frustrating and slow, it involves painful compromises, and it needs trust between parties who do not trust each other. At times, it feels hopeless, particularly when extremists use violence to wreck the process. It was the same in Great Britain with the Northern Ireland peace process. For so long it looked impossible. But just last week, the Queen hosted a state dinner for the president of Ireland to which she invited a former member of the IRA. This would have been absolutely unthinkable a few years ago. Sometimes in order to reach the prize of peace, you have to imagine what it looks like.

Read the article in full at Ynet.