Brokers of Deceit : How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East

**An examination of the failure of the United States as a broker in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, through three key historical moments** For more than seven decades the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people has raged on with no end in sight, and for much of that time, the United States has been involved as a mediator in the conflict. In this book,acclaimed historian Rashid Khalidi zeroes in on the United States’s role as the purported impartial broker in this failed peace process. Khalidi closely analyzes three historical moments that illuminate how the United States’ involvement has, in fact, thwarted progress toward peace between Israel and Palestine. The first moment he investigates is the “Reagan Plan” of 1982, when Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin refused to accept the Reagan administration’s proposal to reframe the Camp David Accords more impartially. The second moment covers the period after the Madrid Peace Conference, from 1991 to 1993, during which negotiations between Israel and Palestine were brokered by the United States until the signing of the secretly negotiated Oslo accords. Finally, Khalidi takes on President Barack Obama’s retreat from plans to insist on halting the settlements in the West Bank. Through in-depth research into and keen analysis of these three moments, as well as his own firsthand experience as an advisor to the Palestinian delegation at the 1991 pre–Oslo negotiations in Washington, DC, Khalidi reveals how the United States and Israel have actively colluded to prevent a Palestinian state and resolve the situation in Israel’s favor. __Brokers of Deceit__ bares the truth about why peace in the Middle East has been impossible to achieve: for decades, US policymakers have masqueraded as unbiased agents working to bring the two sides together, when, in fact, they have been the agents of continuing injustice, effectively preventing the difficult but essential steps needed to achieve peace in the region. Winner of the 2014 Lionel Trilling Book Award An examination of the failure of the United States as a broker in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, through three key historical moments For more than seven decades the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people has raged on with no end in sight, and for much of that time, the United States has been involved as a mediator in the conflict. In this book, acclaimed historian Rashid Khalidi zeroes in on the United States's role as the purported impartial broker in this failed peace process. Khalidi closely analyzes three historical moments that illuminate how the United States' involvement has, in fact, thwarted progress toward peace between Israel and Palestine. The first moment he investigates is the 'Reagan Plan' of 1982, when Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin refused to accept the Reagan administration's proposal to reframe the Camp David Accords more impartially. The second moment covers the period after the Madrid Peace Conference, from 1991 to 1993, during which negotiations between Israel and Palestine were brokered by the United States until the signing of the secretly negotiated Oslo accords. Finally, Khalidi takes on President Barack Obama's retreat from plans to insist on halting the settlements in the West Bank. Through in-depth research into and keen analysis of these three moments, as well as his own firsthand experience as an advisor to the Palestinian delegation at the 1991 pre--Oslo negotiations in Washington, DC, Khalidi reveals how the United States and Israel have actively colluded to prevent a Palestinian state and resolve the situation in Israel's favor. Brokers of Deceit bares the truth about why peace in the Middle East has been impossible to achieve: for decades, US policymakers have masqueraded as unbiased agents working to bring the two sides together, when, in fact, they have been the agents of continuing injustice, effectively preventing the difficult but essential steps needed to achieve peace in the region. From the Hardcover edition An examination of the failure of the United States as a broker in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, through three key historical moments Widely considered the foremost historian of the modern Middle East, Rashid Khalidi here zeroes in on the United States role as a purportedly impartial honest broker in thirty-five years of a failed Palestinian-Israeli peace process. Khalidi closely analyzes the Reagan Plan of 1982, the 19911993 period covering the Madrid Peace Conference to the signing of the Oslo Accords, and President Obamas retreat from his initially firm positions on the preconditions for a resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. These three moments reveal how the United States and Israel have colluded to prevent the emergence of a viable Palestinian state and preserve a status quo favorable to Israel. Brokers of Injustice shows why peace in the Middle East has been impossible to achieve: for decades, U.S. policymakers have masqueraded as an unbiased mediator working to bring the two sides together but, in fact, have been brokers of continuing injustice, actively preventing the compromises needed to achieve a just and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis. An Examination Of The Failure Of The United States As A Broker In The Palestinian Israeli Peace Process, Through Three Key Historical Moments. Khalidi Zeroes In On The United States' Role As A Purportedly Impartial, Honest Broker In 35 Years Of A Failed Palestinian Israeli Peace Process. Introduction : Dishonest Brokers -- The First Moment : Begin And Palestinian Autonomy In 1982 -- The Second Moment : The Madrid-washington Negotiations, 1991-93 -- The Third Moment: Barack Obama And Palestine, 2009-12 -- Conclusion : Israel's Lawyer. Rashid Khalidi. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.