The so-called “peace process” is being initiated afresh in Washington, DC on Tuesday with representatives from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the United States meeting to discuss a framework for a new round of negotiations over issues that have kept the parties out of direct talks for nearly five years.

So the issue of Israel/Palestine is back in the US news, but many critics of the beleaguered effort are saying that it is President Obama’s choice for the US representative to the talks which represents the best evidence that new progress towards a meaningful settlement will not be reached.

“The United States keeps doing the exact same thing over and over again, and somehow expects that it’s going to lead to a different result, and it’s not.” –Josh Ruebner, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

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On Monday, Secretary of State confirmed rumors that former Martin Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and employee of the powerful lobbying group AIPAC, would be the US liason to the talks.

Critics say that picking an individual so clearly aligned with Israel makes achieving the necessary progress for Palestinians a near impossibility.

Calling the choice a “a step backwards for the Obama administration,” Josh Ruebner, the national advocacy director of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, told WBAI radio hosts Lizzy Ratner and Alex Kane that the talks, sadly, are likely to go nowhere.

“[Obama’s] sadly mistaken if he believes that he can keep appointing individuals from these very pro-Israel ideological perspectives to somehow bring about a just and lasting peace,” said Ruebner on the Indyk appointment.