20 June 2012Both Israelis and Palestinians have lost faith in the other's commitment to a two-state solution, former US ambassador and Mideast peace envoy Dennis Ross said Wednesday, prescribing steps both sides can take to reestablish that belief.
"Confidence is something that when it's lost, you have to restore it. But this isn't a case of lost confidence, this is a loss of belief," he said at the Presidential Conference in Jerusalem.
He outlined six steps Israel could take to restore belief it is committed to a two-state outcome, most of which involved making visible preparations for the eventual evacuation of settlements and increasing Palestinian authority within the various areas of the West Bank.
Palestinians, he said, must change the way they talk about Israel, starting with putting on official Palestinian Authority maps in textbooks and websites. In addition, the PA should begin talking about the Jewish people's connection to the land and Jerusalem, in addition to discussing the difficult decisions peace would require of themselves. |
