Both sides repeat that the solution is obvious. Its elements are broadly based on the principles outlined by former President Bill Clinton just before the last round of negotiations at Taba in January last year. Both agree that they have lost faith in their ‘partners’ for peace: they are both committed to peace but not with each other.
The obituary of the Oslo process has been written many times. It was an era dedicated to brokering a deal, even a bad deal, and coping with the consequences later.
The talks broke down not because the components of the deal were not there, but because the mechanism was flawed. Both parties are powerless to rescue the situation. In fact, they may be victims of a process doomed to failure, not because peace itself is impossible, but because the negotiations were structured wrongly.
