Is a Peaceful Peace Process Born to Fail?

It is difficult to think of anything that has failed as often as the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Nathan Thrall of the International Crisis Group argues in his book, “The Only Language they Understand: Forcing Compromise in Israel and Palestine,” that nice negotiations and incentives will never be enough for the stiff-necked people on either side of the Green Line. He claims that only force – either tough diplomatic pressure or actual physical violence – has ever generated real concessions. Thrall discusses why he has reached that conclusion and its implications for reaching a peace accord someday. This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel. Tel Aviv Review is also supported by the Public Discourse Grant from the Israel Institute, which is dedicated to strengthening the field of Israel Studies in order to promote knowledge and enhance understanding of modern Israel.