Jul. 6, 2013

Ex-ambassador draws parallels between peace talks, mediation

Former Middle East special ambassador Dennis Ross captivated a small room of attorneys and mediators as he discussed his role in the multistep peace negotiations during the Clinton administration that offered a glimmer of hope for peace between Israel and Palestine. Moderated by Ross' longtime friend and former college classmate, retired Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Terry B. Friedman, the former ambassador and longtime Middle East policy expert also addressed the current conflict in Syria, calling the situation "a disaster from a moral and strategic standpoint." At the event, held June 18 at the Santa Monica offices of JAMS, Ross spent much of his time laying out the nuances and subtleties required to be an effective mediator, using examples from his time brokering talks between Palestinian leader Yassar Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Using the 2000 Camp David peace talks as a backdrop, Ross relayed how negotiation "wasn't just about understanding key issues, but about the interplay of forces on each side." A deal was nearly final, he said, when it fell apart at the last minute because of how Arafat handled Hezbollah and, more generally, the violence that was erupting between the two sides. Ultimately when it comes to brokering an accord, Ross said "each leader carries history and mythology on their shoulders" and, in order to avoid an impasse, a successful mediator will "get away from principles to get to practicalities." — Henry Meier