The Peace Process Is Over
In the wake of the Palestine Papers and the Egyptian uprising the “peace process” as we know it is dead. The myth persists, however, of “the deal that almost was”.
The U.S.’ tone-deaf approach to Palestinian realities is a central reason for the failure of the “peace process”. Rice suggested in a June 2008 meeting that one way to help solve the entrenched and emotional issue of right of return would be to ship refugees to South America. Barack Obama’s team has not fared much better. In 2009, the U.S. pressured the Palestinians to stall the release of the U.N.’s Goldstone Report calling for an investigation into Israeli war crimes in Gaza. This was precisely the opposite of what the Palestinian public fervently wanted. The U.S. carrot: More favourable negotiating terms for the Palestinian Authority.
