Ambassador Dennis Ross negotiated tensions during his speech on the MIddle East last night at Hillel.

Ross, a negotiator in the 1997 Israeli-Palestinian Hebron peace accord and a member of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, fielded comments from an audience member that prompted dissenting yells.

“To achieve some sort of peace, both sides have to be honest with each other,” he told the audience after the shouting. “I have a compassion for peace after all my years negotiating.”

Ross said the only steps to peace – temporary or lasting – was the developement of a “way station” between the Palestinians and the Israelis that could act as an Israeli solace from terror and a Palestinian breathing space from Israeli control.

“The last three years of immobility in the dialogue have created a disbelief for peace,” he said. “The Israelis don’t think the Palestinians are ready, and the Palestinians don’t think the Israelis are ready to give up control.”

The majority of Israelis support Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s proposal to relinquish parts of the Gaza Strip, and statistics show at most only 30 percent of Palestinians support Hammas, he said.

In order for the terrorist group Hammas to diminish in influence over the Palestinians, Israel would have to offer services Hammas provides, like daytime child care and health care, Ross said.

His speech also touched upon the Bush administration’s anticipation of the events in Iraq post-invasion.

“They didn’t anticipate the vacuum that would exist after Hussein’s cult of personality was removed,” he said. “They anticipated events that didn’t happen, like mass refugees and starvation. They didn’t anticipate the events – like looting – that did. But as long as the S’hia don’t want us out, we’ll be able to manage there.”

On the subject of Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat, Ross said the leader loves being a victim and cannot shake the mythology he created to give the Palestians international awareness.

“We need Islamic partners to defeat fundamentalist Islam – ones that will say violence is illegitimate and killing is wrong,” he said. “Palestinians want democracy, and elections are only a measure of democracy. Democracy is institutions that are set up to mediate differences.”