Beyond the Handshake : Multilateral Cooperation in the Arab-Israeli Peace Process, 1991-1996

Arabs and Israelis have battled one another in political and military arenas, seemingly continuously, for some fifty years. The 1991 Madrid Peace Conference sought to change this pattern, launching bilateral and multilateral tracks in the Arab-Israeli peace process. As a result, a broad group of Arab states sat down with Israel and began to cooperate on a wide range of regional issues in what became known as the Middle East multilaterals. Yet why did enemies reluctant even to recognize one another choose to cooperate on regional problems? And once this process began, what drove the parties to continue such cooperation or, in some cases, halt their cooperative efforts? __Beyond the Handshake__ addresses these fundamental questions, exploring the origins of the multilaterals and the development of multilateral cooperation in the areas of arms control and regional security, economic development, water management, and the environment. Dalia Dassa Kaye, challenging conventional concepts of cooperation, argues that multilateral cooperation in the Middle East must be appreciated as a process of interaction rather than solely as a set of outcomes. Presenting theoretical insights of value to students of regional and international relations, __Beyond the Handshake__ provides a unique look at the evolving nature of Arab-Israeli relations and exposes the foundation the multilateral peace process laid for future regional cooperation in the Middle East. Contents 6 Preface 8 Introduction 12 1 Explaining Regional Multilateral Cooperation 26 2 The Historical Record: Pre-Madrid Regional Cooperation 55 3 The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Multilateral Talks 69 4 Regional Security Cooperation 101 5 Regional Economic Cooperation 135 6 Water and Environmental Cooperation 183 7 Conclusion 209 Appendix A: Concluding Remarks bySecretary of State James A. Baker III Before the Organizational Meeting for Multilateral Negotiations on the Middle East (January 28, 1992) 224 Appendix B: Article 4: Security. Treaty of Peace Between the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan(October 26, 1994) 228 Appendix C: Declaration of Principles and Statements of Intent on Arms Control and Regional Security 231 Appendix D: Statement by the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf on the Cancellation by the GCC of the Secondary/Tertiary Arab Boycott of Israel (October 1, 1994) 235 Appendix E: Casablanca Declaration Middle East/North Africa Economic Summit(October 30–November 1, 1994) 236 Appendix F: Amman Declaration Middle East/North Africa Economic Summit (October 29–31, 1995) 241 Appendix G: Cairo Declaration Middle East/North Africa Economic Conference (November 12–14, 1996) 245 Appendix H: Declaration on Principles for Cooperation Among the Core Parties on Water-Related Matters and New and Additional Water Resources - The Multilateral Working Group on Water Resources Oslo (February 13, 1996) 248 Appendix I: The Bahrain Environmental Code of Conduct for the Middle East (October 25, 1994) 255 Notes 260 Selected Bibliography 319 Index 336 Explaining Regional Multilateral Cooperation -- The Historical Record: Pre-madrid Regional Cooperation -- The Origins Of The Arab-israeli Multilateral Talks -- Regional Security Cooperation -- Regional Economic Cooperation -- Water And Environmental Cooperation -- Conclusion. Dalia Dassa Kaye. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [294]-310) And Index. Challenging conventional conceptions about the meaning and nature of international co-operation, this work argues that multilateral co-operation in the Middle East must be understood as a process of interaction rather than a set of outcomes.