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George Mitchell's reappearance on the Middle Eastern scene earlier this year has reignited speculation as to whether he'll be able, with President Barack Obama's more hands-on approach, to repeat his success in Northern Ireland and help mediate peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Given the parallels between the two conflicts, the Northern Irish peace process has been held up as an example of how Israelis and Palestinians can proceed on the road to resolution.

While I have expressed scepticism vis-à-vis Mitchell's chances of success "“ because the shift in US foreign policy has been mainly rhetorical, the Israeli position has hardened and the Palestinians are in disarray "“ there are certainly lessons to be learnt from Northern Ireland. These...