These are the facts: negotiations between the government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization are taking place. There are two negotiators on the Israeli side (Attorney Dr. Yitzhak Molcho and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni). There are two negotiators on the Palestinian side (Dr. Saeb Erekat and Dr. Mohammed Shtayeh). There is one US mediator/facilitator (Ambassador Dr. Martin Indyk). The negotiations are being directed and guided by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The majority (perhaps all) of the ministers in the Israeli government are in the dark – they do not know what is going on behind the closed doors of the negotiations.

The majority (perhaps all) of the ministers in the Palestinian government are in the dark and have no idea what is happening behind the closed doors. The agreed spokesman for the talks is the US State Department and Secretary of State John Kerry himself.

Various anonymous sources have “leaked” information about the negotiations. I would venture to say that the overwhelming majority of news that has been published about the negotiations from the anonymous sources is false. I would say (and I don’t think I am wrong) that those who are speaking, don’t know, and those who know, are not speaking.

A rather well known Israeli journalist asked me yesterday if I thought the negotiations were being harmed by the lack of transparency. I think she was surprised by my very decisive answer – no, quite the opposite.

There is no other way to conduct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations given the present political constellations on both sides in the public eye. Neither Netanyahu nor Abbas could carry on any serious negotiations with the other side if they were transparent. They would be spending all of their time negotiating with their own political parties.

Read this article in full at the Jerusalem Post.