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Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/458088.html
The Lessons of Dennis Ross
(Ha'aretz) - Ze'ev Schiff Special Middle East envoy Dennis Ross's new book, The Missing Peace, is an encyclopedia of the peace process between Israel and the Arabs. Ross thinks the Americans should have set down clear rules when it came to broken commitments. The U.S. was guilty of not being ready to stop the process when a significant violation took place. Ross writes that the Americans were "afraid" it would hurt the process, so they created an atmosphere in which violating a commitment did not appear to be a serious matter. He says the Americans also made the mistake of not giving enough attention to the public on both sides. He argues that if the two peoples do not undergo basic transformations, there is no chance for peace. The Palestinians, and Arabs in general, need to recognize that Israel has legitimate and just needs. That has not happened to this day. Ross concludes from his experience that no Israeli concession will be considered a major concession by the Arabs.