fbpx

Voices of Peace

In the long view -- and who could have a longer view than the man who, until recently, was the U.S. State Department\'s Middle East negotiator for the past 12 years? -- Dennis Ross believes that diplomacy in the Middle East boils down to psychology. \"The idea of taking politics out of foreign policy,\" Ross said, \"is as illusory as taking psychology out of human behavior, and what is foreign policy after all, but a collection of human behaviors.\"
[additional-authors]
April 5, 2001

In the long view — and who could have a longer view than the man who, until recently, was the U.S. State Department’s Middle East negotiator for the past 12 years? — Dennis Ross believes that diplomacy in the Middle East boils down to psychology. "The idea of taking politics out of foreign policy," Ross said, "is as illusory as taking psychology out of human behavior, and what is foreign policy after all, but a collection of human behaviors."

As Ross presented his ideas to the students of the "Voices of Peace" class of Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller at UCLA, there was a silent nod of recognition.

"In the end, when you’re going to settle a conflict like this, everybody has to give up his myths," Ross told his audience. "Myths are what fuel the conflict; they create a sense of identity and struggle and a sense of legitimacy to a struggle. But when you’re trying to end that struggle, you have to look for a practical way to accommodate each side’s needs."

I’ve resigned as negotiator, he told the class. Now, what would you do? What do you think should happen right now?

The Palestinian, Israeli and American students gave a nervous chuckle and twisted in their seats. Some adjusted their Chinese take-out on their laps, scanned their hair for split ends or laughed nervously at the thought of being asked to negotiate. Other brave souls raised their hands to share with Ross what they would do for peace.

"What if there was an autonomous arrangement for the Palestinians, and then down the line, we talked about sovereignty?" one student suggested.

Ross countered, "Problem is, they’ve already had autonomy, and that hasn’t been very satisfying. If the Palestinians really had that and didn’t face checkpoints and were able to move goods in and out, that would be one thing, but how do you reconcile freedom of movement with Israeli concerns for security?"

"What if each side tried to settle their differences first?" "What if we turned back the clock?" "What if the media played more of a role in equalizing the conflict?" other students suggested.

Eventually, each side’s myths began to explode around the classroom.

"It seems there is a double standard," a young woman said, "Palestinians get away with acts of violence that Israelis are condemned for."

"Israelis start a majority of the violence," another said angrily. "It’s not fair that people say Palestinians start the violence. The fact is that what happened is the Palestinian homeland was taken away from them violently. That’s the truth."

A sense of grievance, a term used earlier by Ross to describe each side, also described the classroom at this moment, ending a pathway back to where a solution was possible.

In the end, Ross told the students that he is an optimist. He believes that through sheer exhaustion, or by realizing there is no other alternative, Israelis and Palestinins will return to the negotiating table.

"So as I’ve thought about it, the need to give up myths is essential," Ross stated. "But you can’t do it all at once. It’s pretty clear there has to be a psychological adjustment. The most profound contribution at Camp David, was the breaking of taboos, the ability of getting beyond slogans to deal with the core existential questions. The failing was to think you could break those taboos and [have] an immediate psychological adjustment. I spent enough time around Arafat to believe he genuinely wanted peace, but to act on it was something he could not do. The fact was, Barak was prepared to assume that historic burden, but look what happened in the process."

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

The Beat Goes On

While so much of the world seems obsessed with and consumed by its hatred of Israel and Jews, Israelis continue to build, create, work, celebrate, argue, raise families, and plan for the future.

Viral AI Video Targets Jewish Comedian

“The biggest concern is that people now have a pathway to shut down Jewish voices through complete falsities that people will believe. … For the future of Jewish entertainment, it’s very scary.”

Yiddish Historians: Writing in Their Own Language for Their Own People

Mark Smith has compiled an important anthology of Jewish history using 49 works by Yiddish historians to recreate or at least open the door to a world of Jewish thought that was once almost mainstream, but which no longer exists, except in the minds of too few specialists.

The Everlasting Melody

Most Jews who have sung “Eitz Chaim” over the past half-century probably never knew Portnoy. They did not know when he wrote the melody or how young he was when he composed it. They simply knew the song.

Who’s Really the Victim?

Those who would revel in Israel’s demise are claiming victimhood on every front and denying attacks on us in the same breath.

Biblical Deterrence

After Oct. 7, the sentiment in Israel toward the Iranian leadership was unequivocal: You went medieval — so we will go biblical.

How Sukkot Makes Us Whole

This year, I bless us that we open our eyes to truly see the beauty and the holiness of the world, and of the person before us at each and every moment, and to see the godliness of their aspirations and their fears.

The New Ushpizot

Ushpizin invite us to “welcome in our ancestral constellation and dwell amongst them.” This year, it’s Ushpizot, for the women. It’s the year of the Feminist Visitation.

Macklemore, Or Less

In between his songs, he proclaimed, “Free Palestine,” which is fine, asserted that opposing Israeli military actions is not antisemitic, which is accurate, and accused Israel of apartheid and genocide, which is offensive, untrue and hateful.

The Rokeach’s Remarkable Sukkah

To Rabbi Eleazar ben Judah of Worms (1176-1238), the medieval German pietist known as the Rokeach, the sukkah symbolized Jewish military might.

The Sukkah and the Power of Endurance

They can destroy our Temples, demonize us in social media, shower us with hate, but they can’t destroy a spirit that never stops building. That enduring spirit is the power of the sukkah.

NY Mag’s Habibi City

A satirical response to Zaina Arafat’s erasure of Jews in her New York Magazine article “Habibi City,” written as Zaina Arafat.

The ‘Fauda’ Enigma

In many of the nations that believe Israel has no right to exist and routinely root for terrorists to slaughter Jews, a TV show that depicts Israeli covert operatives outsmarting and dispatching Arabs has an inexplicably loyal global audience.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.