Professional Documents
Culture Documents
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304687555&pagenam...
Subscribe!
RSS Feeds
Podcasts
Web
Headlines
Iranian Threat
Jewish World
Opinion
Business
Real Estate
Local Israel
Blogs
Israel
Middle East
International
Features
Travel
Cafe Oleh
Magazine
Sports
Israel Guide
I am not Jewish
but...
Comments: 10
UK Jewish students
get some out-of-class
lessons
Comments: 2
E-mail Edition
Archives
JPost.com
Home
Right of Reply:
Conservative
Judaism as
3-generation
movement
Comments: 22
Judaica Gifts
Franais
Subscribe
Classifieds
Services
Subscribe
Toolbar
+ Recommend:
What's this?
COLUMNISTS
Larry Derfner
Gilad Schalit is
gone
Douglas
Bloomfield
Passing the big
bucks
Barack Obama's choice of former senator George Mitchell as his Mideast envoy has provoked hope and
fear in equal measure on either side of the divide in that region that peace between Israel and the
Palestinians has been edged a little closer.
"What a powerful choice," trumpeted J Street,
the new-ish pro-peace, pro-Israel lobby in
Washington, a view echoed by chief Palestinian
negotiator and Fatah spokesman Ahmed Qurei,
who praised Mitchell's impartiality, adding: "[He
is] someone with experience in... the settlement
of political conflicts." But George Mitchell's
perceived neutrality is precisely what worried
Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League:
"He's been meticulously even-handed. So I'm
concerned."
in Northern Ireland, where he chaired the talks that led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ended
some three decades of bloodshed and a conflict that at times had seemed so beyond resolution that it
was often compared to the Middle East.
The depiction of Mitchell as the architect of a peace agreement that persuaded the IRA to put down its
weapons and Northern Ireland's competing Nationalist and Unionist politicians to sit together in the same
government, is by now so widely accepted that to question it seems absurd or even mean-spirited.
As The New York Times stated baldly, in an editorial published the day after his appointment: "He
negotiated the 1998 Good Friday accord in Northern Ireland, good training for taking on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict." Or this, in the Boston Globe, two days later: "The Obama administration is
hoping that Mitchell will bring the same mixture of toughness and subtlety, patience and impatience, to
Sisters in Struggle
New York, March 19
London, March 19
So just what was Mitchell's role in securing peace in Northern Ireland? Was he as central and crucial as
is widely believed, and what lessons can be drawn from all this of relevance to his new mission?
Jerusalem, March 19
1 of 4
19/03/2009 10:00
His wasn't the central role in the Northern Ireland peace deal | Op-Ed C...
JPOST.COM EXTRA!
Special Reports
Learn Hebrew
Brain Games
Audio Programs
Map of Israel
Israel Resources
Obituaries
Weather
Shabbat Times
Financial Tables
Cartoon
Sudoku
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304687555&pagenam...
ADVERTISE WITH US
| MEDIA KIT
GOT A QUESTION?
Have a question about something in this story? Ask it here
and get answers from other users like you.
Ask
Specials
Eldan Rent a Car
Israel's leading car
rental company offers a
20% discount on online
reservations
The Best Jewish
Charity
Learn how Efrat saved
30,000 lives of Jewish
children
Israeli Basketball
Watch Live Israeli
Premier Basketball
Games
Send flowers to
someone
Send flowers to
someone in Gush Dan
with Alon Levin - floral
design
Tamir Rent a car
Car rental in Israel,
special prices
Find love at
JChuppah.com
Use your mouse to find
your spouse!
Attractions In Israel
had been the work of the Irish government, while Sinn Fein, the IRA's proxy at the talks, would assume
everything coming from the British had to be tainted.
It was a stroke of genius from the two governments to realize that if the proposed agreement were to
come instead from the Americans, this difficulty could be sidestepped. Not only that, but the Americans
could do something beyond the ability of Britain or Ireland: credibly allocate blame if the talks failed and
the violence resumed.
And so Mitchell, the peace envoy appointed by Bill Clinton then as he has been appointed by Barack
Obama now, was the chosen channel through which the British and Irish achieved their goal. The draft
agreement introduced at the talks had been composed and written by British and Irish officials, but it
was presented as if it had come from Mitchell's own hand.
The parties knew the truth and they acted accordingly. The bulk of the negotiations leading up to
agreement were between them and the two governments, with Mitchell very secondary to events. But
they had been trapped by London and Dublin. The world believed it was Mitchell's deal and none wanted
to be the target for US criticism if the talks collapsed.
AND SO A MYTH was born. Mitchell had negotiated the Good Friday Agreement. For a while it was
even called the "Mitchell Agreement," but that term soon fell into disuse, not least because there was
little appetite to perpetuate the fable among the participants.
None of this is to minimize the very constructive role that Mitchell otherwise played in the peace talks.
Israel guide
Your guide to Israel
He was widely liked, scrupulously fair and was tough enough in the dealings he did have with all the
parties. But to credit him with winning the peace in Northern Ireland is a step too far. If Obama has
chosen him because he believes that he performed the role in Northern Ireland ascribed to him, then he
Judaism
Hotels In Israel
Download JPost.com's
toolbar and listen to
Israeli radio 24/7
Green Israel
Protecting Israel's
environment
Unique gifts from
Israel
The future of music
Global community of
music makers discover
new music
Jerusalem Gold Hotel
Your Home in Jerusalem
Pay 6 Stay 7 days
There is though an important lesson from Mitchell's time in Northern Ireland. The ploy devised by the
British and Irish governments worked for a very simple reason. The Americans were seen by all sides
as a largely disinterested party whose judgment and verdict thereby carried extra weight. They had no
dog in the fight. The same cannot be said for America's role in the Middle East. The real question
arising from Mitchell's appointment is whether Obama wishes to change that.
The writer is author of A Secret History of the IRA and Paisley - From Demagogue to Democrat?
Careers at JPost
You might like:
2 of 4
19/03/2009 10:00
His wasn't the central role in the Northern Ireland peace deal | Op-Ed C...
3 of 4
Subscribe
Toolbar
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304687555&pagenam...
+ Recommend:
What's this?
19/03/2009 10:00
His wasn't the central role in the Northern Ireland peace deal | Op-Ed C...
JPost Sites: JPost Store Judaica JPost Mall America's Voices Jhappening
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304687555&pagenam...
Sites of Interest: Car Donations Donate Car BreitBart.com The future of music Maps of Israel Gravesite Services Unique Jewish Gifts Fundraising Ideas Car Rentals in
Israel Web Hosting Providers Dental Plans Prom dresses and gowns Prom dresses Jovani Dresses Trace Phone Number Poalim Online
Services: Print Edition JPost CD-Rom Subscriptions Classifieds
Place a Classified Ad Careers E-mail Edition Archives ePaper JPost Toolbar News
Ticker
Podcasts JP Mobile AllJobs Israel Christian World Youth Magazines Exclusive Content
JPost Guides: Charitable Funds
Green Israel Real Estate Index Israel Tour Guide Philanthropy Guide
Learn Hebrew
Information: About Us Feedback Media Kit Sales Staff E-mails Privacy Statement Copyright Terms of Use News Partners
RSS
The online edition of The Jerusalem Post JPost.com provides first class news and analysis about Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Whether news about Iran, Gaza, Syria, Fatah, Hamas or Hezbollah, JPost.com
covers the burning issues of the Middle East and the Israeli-Arab conflict.
4 of 4
19/03/2009 10:00