A few months ago, I had a chance to hear U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speak in Washington. The hall was crowded with sceptical Israelis. We’ve all been through Oslo. We’ve all been through Camp David. We all remember Annapolis. We all remember the withdrawal from Lebanon and the disengagement too. Our expectations of the Middle East are close to zero. Our hope regarding peace – next to none. We’re all jaded cynics.

And yet, when the tall, presidential secretary of state stood behind the podium and spoke, an electrifying silence prevailed. It was impossible not to be impressed by the resolve of this man of peace to bring peace. It was impossible not to be captivated by the moral force he radiated. For a moment, it seemed that maybe the mission was not impossible, maybe reality was not so grim. As long as Kerry spoke, there was hope in the hall.

But there were also question marks. Do the Americans really know what they’re doing? Have they really been able to extract from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an indirect agreement to the principle of 1967? Have they really persuaded Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to accept, indirectly, the idea of the Jewish state? Do they really have a security plan that solves the difficult problem of the Jordan Valley? Do they have a creative solution for Jerusalem and an ingenious solution for the refugees and a generous economic package that will tempt even the rejectionists? In other words, do they know whom they’re talking with and what they’re talking about?

Read the article in full at Haaretz.