Middle Eastern Maze

Itamar Rabinovich is a distinguished nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution. A professor and president emeritus at Tel Aviv University, he served as Israel’s ambassador to the United States and chief negotiator with Syria. His most recent book, with Carmit Valensi, is Syrian Requiem (Princeton, 2021).

There is no better guide than Itamar Rabinovich to the story of Israel and the Arabs over the past half-century. His careful chronicle of peacemaking efforts makes depressing reading, as a story of courageous efforts that failed and opportunities that were missed. In this new edition, Itamar’s Rabinovitch's book is even more the essential go-to resource for people who want to understand Israel In the Middle East.

• Preface 1 The Background2 Madrid and Oslo: Years of Hope 3 Years of Stagnation 4 Ehud Barak and the Collapse of the Peace Process 5 Sharon, Bush, and Arafat 6 Ehud Olmert and the New New Middle East 7 American-Israeli Autumn, Arab Spring 8 Donald Trump and the Road to the Abraham Accords 9 The Aftermath of the Abraham Accords 10 The Web of Relationships 11 Peace and Normalization Conclusion Epilogue Chronology Notes Index