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Peace process is doomed, says security veteran

November 15, 2013 08:05

By

Simon Round,

Simon Round

2 min read

There are few living Israelis who have more experience in the fields of both war and peace than Ami Ayalon.

He was a decorated navy commando who became the commander of the Israeli navy, then served as director of the Shin Bet security service before ultimately being elected to serve as a Labour minister in Ehud Olmert’s coalition government.

His experience leads him to the gloomy conclusion that the current Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are doomed to failure.

“For these negotiations to succeed, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will have to promise and deliver more than he did four years ago — and he is much weaker now. On the other side, Benjamin Netanyahu needs to promise more than Ehud Olmert did four years ago — and even Olmert’s offer was not enough. I try to persuade myself every day that there is a chance, but I am finding it very hard.”