Nickolay Mladenov is the UN Coordinator on the Peace Process. A former defense minister of Bulgaria, he brings a straightforward approach to his task. As a former lead negotiator for our country, I have known others in this role, and he is unlike any of them. They tended to reflect the structural bias of the UN against Israel and often saw their role as representing the Palestinians.

Mladenov is mindful of the needs of both sides. Even as he tries to respond to their needs, he does not hesitate to call out each side for behaviors that are inconsistent with peace. With the Israelis, he criticizes their settlement activities that make the Palestinians feel powerless and that, when outside the blocs, appear to pre-empt a two-state outcome. With the Palestinians, he criticizes their incitement and is quick to condemn Mahmoud Abbas for using age-old anti-Semitic tropes in a speech given earlier this year.

Read the full story at the Washington Institute.