Making Peace - by Eytan Bentsur (Hardcover)

About the Book

Sitting around one oval table for the first time at the Madrid Conference in 1991, historic Arab and Israeli enemies pledge to work toward regional peace and security. From Madrid onward, Middle East diplomacy has been pursued on two tracks--between Israel and its immediate neighbors, and among all the countries of the region. This book reveals, for the first time, an insider's account of the true significance of the Madrid Conference and how a revolution in Middle Eastern affairs was wrought there.

Making Peace details the debates, doubts, reversals, and accomplishments that crystallized at the Madrid Peace Conference in October 1991. In the months leading up to this historic event, Eytan Bentsur, today Director-General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, worked closely with his counterparts from other countries to find a formula that might bridge the bitter and seemingly intractable rivalry between Israelis and Arabs. This formula was to become known as the famous two-track approach and is an important source of the incredible progress made toward regional peace and security in recent times. Arguing persuasively that the Middle East peace revolution was triggered by the Madrid gathering, Bentsur sheds new light on the leading personalities and ideas that made the conference a success and a foundation for future progress.

An Israeli official who belonged to an avowed peace group within a hesitant government, Bentsur devised new formulas that made the advantages of peace more palpable to a national leadership and public that were sometimes obsessed with the problems of the peace process. The book elucidates the origins, rationale, and impact of the two-track approach. It is a gripping, behind-the-scenes account of diplomatic efforts in the cause of peace in a war-torn part of the globe.

Book Synopsis

Sitting around one oval table for the first time at the Madrid Conference in 1991, historic Arab and Israeli enemies pledge to work toward regional peace and security. From Madrid onward, Middle East diplomacy has been pursued on two tracks--between Israel and its immediate neighbors, and among all the countries of the region. This book reveals, for the first time, an insider's account of the true significance of the Madrid Conference and how a revolution in Middle Eastern affairs was wrought there.

Making Peace details the debates, doubts, reversals, and accomplishments that crystallized at the Madrid Peace Conference in October 1991. In the months leading up to this historic event, Eytan Bentsur, today Director-General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, worked closely with his counterparts from other countries to find a formula that might bridge the bitter and seemingly intractable rivalry between Israelis and Arabs. This formula was to become known as the famous two-track approach and is an important source of the incredible progress made toward regional peace and security in recent times. Arguing persuasively that the Middle East peace revolution was triggered by the Madrid gathering, Bentsur sheds new light on the leading personalities and ideas that made the conference a success and a foundation for future progress.

An Israeli official who belonged to an avowed peace group within a hesitant government, Bentsur devised new formulas that made the advantages of peace more palpable to a national leadership and public that were sometimes obsessed with the problems of the peace process. The book elucidates the origins, rationale, and impact of the two-track approach. It is a gripping, behind-the-scenes account of diplomatic efforts in the cause of peace in a war-torn part of the globe.

Review Quotes

"[A] valuable addition to the literature on the Arab-Israeli peace process....Bentsur was in a position to report authoritatively on the Madrid conference and the Washington talks....he conveys a good sense of the nuances behind the negotiating position of both sides and reaches a persuasive conclusion on the significance of the talks, avoiding the trap of over-emphasizing events in which he played a part. The account is very succinct....well written....and should be attractive to general readers beyond specialists in the field....a valuable source for all of us who try to keep abreast to Israeli-Arab affairs."-Alan Dowty Professor of Government and International Studies University of Notre Dame

"For a proper understanding of the ups and downs of the current Israeli-Arab peace process--the Madrid process--it is important to understand its origin and foundations. Fortunately one of the architects of the original Madrid Conference and the current Director-General of Israel's Foreign Ministry has shared with us his account of how this extraordinary diplomatic event came about. Bentsur's book offers unusual insights into the innermost workings of Israel's foreign policy establishment, U.S. policy in the Middle East and Arab Israeli diplomacy."-Itamar Rabinovich President Tel Aviv University Served as Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. (1993-1996) and was Israel's chief negotiator with Syria

"Making Peace is a detailed eye-witness account of the cooperation as well as the confrontation that ultimately brought Arabs and Israelis together for direct face-to-face negotiations at the Madrid Conference, and later in other venues. As one of the major players in these events, Eytan Bentsur has crafted a compelling account of exactly what transpired and how, with detail and nuance that make the book a valuable historical record."-James A. Baker, III 61st U.S. Secretary of State

"No one in Israel--and probably no one in the entire Middle East--has been so long and deeply involved in the peace process as has Eytan Bentsur. He has been witness and often author at most of the key events. This book provides an indispensable perspective to understanding how Israel and the Arabs moved from a half-century of conflict toward peace."-Barry Rubin Professor Deputy Director, BESA Center for Strategic Studies Editor, Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Editor, Global Journal

?Recommended for general readers, upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers.?-Choice Reviews

"Recommended for general readers, upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers."-Choice Reviews

About the Author

EYTAN BENTSUR is Director-General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs./e