Al-Monitor has learned that former US peace envoy Dennis Ross and Israeli American think tank expert David Makovsky are involved in a back-channel process with a leading PLO official in Ramallah. Palestinians and the rest of the world are aware that the 1993 memorandum of understanding between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel was the result of the Oslo back channel rather than the bilateral talks under way in Washington.

At the time, the Israelis had not officially recognized the PLO, which was directing the talks in Washington. The back channel made sense in that Israel was able to talk directly to Palestinian leaders, despite not publicly recognizing them. No such need exists today, but some believe that back-channel talks allow for alternative ideas and suggestions to be tested without having to officially present them and risk having them abruptly rejected. (www.al-monitor.com)