Why Mock Rice?

A lot of people are mocking or even attacking Rice for trying to make peace beteween Irael and the PA. But there is no need to mock her. The problem is that she (as well as her critics) are ignorant about the art of negotiation.

Negotiation can lead to a durable agreement only if both parties are committed to one objective. In this instance, it is not all clear that they are. They certainly have not said that they are committed to peace above all other goals.

Compare this situation to the situation between Egypt and Israel when they signed their peace treaty in Washington DC on March 26, 1979. Both Egypt and Israel wanted peace. So, they made peace. (BTW, Jimmy Carter got a Nobel Peace Prize for helping to achieve the peace treaty.)

If Rice wants a Nobel Prize, she first has to make sure that Israel and the Palestinians both want peace more than anything else. If that is not the case, Rice gets points for trying, but really it isn't going to work. That's tough, but that's reality.