Secret Channels: Inside Story of Arab-Israeli Peace Negotiations - Hardcover

Heikal, Mohamed

4.55

11 ratings by Goodreads

9780002555159: Secret Channels: Inside Story of Arab-Israeli Peace Negotiations

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0002555158 ISBN 13: 9780002555159

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1996

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Since the foundation of the state of Israel, the quest for peace in the Middle East has preoccupied the international community. This book tells the behind-the-scenes story of half a century of clandestine Arab-Israeli peace negotiations. The author illuminates Arab attitudes which have often seemed baffling to the outside world. It looks at: why Nasser, the greatest of Arab nationalist leaders, secretly encouraged Jordan's King Hussein to make peace with Israel; why Yasser Arafat supported Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait; why Arafat agreed to the Israeli terms in 1993 which were no better than those that had been on offer for many years; why Islamic fundamentalists tried to wreck the deal; and what the future prospects for peace in the Middle East are?

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From the Back Cover:

The 'Oslo agreement' of September 1993 focused the world's attention on clandestine talks between Israeli and Arab representatives. Yet, as 'Secret Channels' makes clear, such contacts are not a recent development. The Arab masses' implacable opposition to any dealings with Israel has always made secrecy imperative, and Arab leaders have met violent deaths because talking to Israel was regarded as treachery, a breach of a cause made sacred by the suffering of the Palestinians in 1948. Mohamed Heikal examines for the first time the history of covert Middle Eastern negotiations, and illuminates Arab attitudes which have often seemed baffling to the outside world. Why did President Nasser, the greatest of Arab nationalist leaders, secretly encourage King Hussein of Jordan to reach an agreement with Israel? What lay behind Yasser Arafat's decision to back Saddam Hussein after his invasion of Kuwait? Why did Arafat settle for terms with Israel in 1993 that were no better than those on offer many years earlier, and why were Islamic militants determined to wreck that agreement?

Mohamed Heikal's perspective is that of a true insider, personally acquainted with most Arab leaders, and at times directly involved in their decision-making processes. In 'Secret Channels' he poses disturbing questions about recent accords, and demonstrates that, far from moving towards understanding, Israel and the Palestinians may be on course for further collisions.

'Unforgettable...astonishingly candid in telling us the real story of what happened. Better one Heikal book than hundreds of 'expert' treatises on the Middle East'
EDWARD SAID,'Observer '

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.