How Can the Failure of the Oslo Peace Process Be Explained? to What Extent Can the Failure Be Attributed to American Mediation?

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The failure of the Oslo Peace Process can be attributed to a number of factors. What started off as a breakthrough in relations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, developed into a process with many stumbling blocks and the eventual collapse of it all together. The historical break-through that is the result of the Oslo Accords came about because all the factors for successful negotiation were present. Most of all the time was ‘ripe’ to enter negotiations to resolve the conflict. Both sides believed that they had reached a point of stalemate and believed that neither of them would achieve their aspirations without entering into negotiations with one another. Palestinian and Israeli representatives used track two diplomacy and stayed away from the public eye, where they could begin a process of trust building. This allowed for the main breakthrough of mutual recognition of the right for national self-determination. After the Declaration of Principles was laid out and the process to reach a final status agreement got on its way, it was approached in a wrong manner. It was approached with traditional International Relations tools. It seemed like the right thing as the result was to be two states and the conflict was therefore treated as an inter-state conflict. Furthermore, the legacy of Arab-Israeli Peacemaking made many to believe that the same methods should be applied in the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians (Barak, 2005). These methods were not useful in a conflict that is not between states and in an environment in which both parties were internally divided. The opposition, so to speak, in both groups was sabotaging any effort that the leaders had made and convincing the general public became even more difficult than it already was after decades of conflict. In Israel this sabotaging opposition was voted in as the next government, with
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