A call for a rebuilding of the "culture of peace" in the Middle East and a return to "serious and meaningful" political negotiations was made during a visit to Dublin yesterday by Senator George Mitchell, who led the fact-finding commission which recently issued a report on the conflict.
Asked if he was disappointed by the Israeli reaction to the report's call for the freezing of settlement-building, Senator Mitchell said: "No, I expected that response, of course, since that was the position they made clear to us over a long period of time.
"The Palestinian Authority has expressed its acceptance of the entire report even as they are disappointed with some of the specific recommendations, particularly our failure to endorse their request for a so-called international protection force to be sent to the region.
"I don't think it was or would be realistic to expect everyone to accept every provision in our report on the very first day. There is a process of consultation, public discussion and debate, negotiation, all of which has to occur before you can move forward. "My hope is that, whether it is through the mechanism of our report or some other initiative, or some combination thereof, that the parties will get together and take the actions that we recommend.
"End the violence, rebuild the confidence that has been shattered over the past few months and resume serious and meaningful negotiation."
Senator Mitchell said there had been what he described as a deliberate, wise and effective effort over the past decade to develop a "culture of peace" or in other words, "to create an atmosphere among the public on both sides in which there could be continued progress towards an ultimate settlement of the conflict there". There had been co-operation between the two sides in security matters which both admitted was effective.
"That has been shattered now. It isn't just the political leaders who have lost confidence in their opposite numbers, it's the public. On both sides there is a deep and abiding and continual and rather pervasive distrust, a widespread hatred, a great deal of incitement.
"It's a very difficult atmosphere within which to expect political leaders to make tough decisions and to take risks for peace and so it is important that an effort be made to rebuild that confidence and create an atmosphere in which there can be a return to the progress of the past several years."
Asked if he believed that the Palestinian leadership was doing enough to bring an end to the violence emanating from their side, he replied: "We made clear in our report that there had not been a maximum effort to control and restrain violent activities on the Palestinian side and that there would have to be. "Further we made clear that there is a very disturbing lack of accountability and what we would call `a chain of command'. That has to be improved and a greater discipline established."
Asked if his experience chairing the peace talks in Northern Ireland had helped him in the even more difficult situation of the Middle East, the senator said: "It has been very helpful to me in two respects. The first is to be patient and persevering and not to be discouraged by the apparent lack of progress or even by setbacks."
He recalled that the Northern Ireland negotiations had lasted nearly two years. "For the vast majority of that time there was very little progress. It was very discouraging, but we kept at it. "Everyone recognised that the process had to continue because the alternative was unacceptable, namely, a return to conflict. You learn to remain balanced, not to become overly discouraged at the apparent or real lack of progress because the goal is noble and worth the effort."
"I regularly say to the political leaders in the Middle East that my experience in Northern Ireland taught me that there is no such thing as a conflict that cannot be ended. "Conflicts are created and sustained by human beings, they can be ended by human beings." His message was: "If they can do it in Northern Ireland, you can do it in the Middle East."