Many have tried to make sense of the intractable conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, though very few have attained as much expertise in the region as former U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Ambassador Dennis Ross. As the point person for the peace process in both the George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations, Ambassador Ross is a trusted and revered voice in what is arguably the most controversial geopolitical conflict of our time.
Join American Society of the University of Haifa (ASUH) for a fascinating discussion with the American diplomat who played a leading role in shaping U.S. involvement in the Middle East peace process, as he shares his perspective on the current Israeli-Hamas war, the state of U.S.-Israeli relations and what a path to peace post-October 7 would look like. Ambassador Ross is joined by Jeffrey Robbins, ASUH Board Member and partner at Saul Ewing and ASUH’s Chief Executive Officer, Naomi Reinharz. This program is part of a three-part series in partnership with the acclaimed national law firm Saul Ewing.
Among a long list of credentials, Ambassador Ross helped orchestrate the 1995 Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (commonly known as Oslo II), the 1997 Hebron Agreement and the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty. He served as the Special Middle East Coordinator under President Bill Clinton and was the Director of Policy and Planning in the State Department under President George H. W. Bush. In addition to dedicating much of his career to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Ambassador Ross was the special assistant to President Barack Obama and was National Security Council senior director for the Central Region, where he spent the first six months of the administration as the Special Advisor on Iran to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Today, he is a fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Co-chairs the Jewish People Policy Institute Board of Directors.