Chances for Peace : Missed Opportunities in the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Drawing on a newly developed theoretical definition of "missed opportunity,"__Chances for Peace__uses extensive sources in English, Hebrew, and Arabic to systematically measure the potentiality levels of opportunity across some ninety years of attempted negotiations in the Arab-Israeli conflict. With enlightening revelations that defy conventional wisdom, this study provides a balanced account of the most significant attempts to forge peace, initiated by the world's superpowers, the Arabs (including the Palestinians), and Israel. From Arab-Zionist negotiations at the end of World War I to the subsequent partition, the aftermath of the 1967 War and the Sadat Initiative, and numerous agreements throughout the 1980s and 1990s, concluding with the Annapolis Conference in 2007 and the Abu Mazen-Olmert talks in 2008, pioneering scholar Elie Podeh uses empirical criteria and diverse secondary sources to assess the protagonists' roles at more than two dozen key junctures.A resource that brings together historiography, political science, and the practice of peace negotiation, Podeh's insightful exploration also showcases opportunities that were__not__missed. Three agreements in particular (Israeli-Egyptian, 1979; Israeli-Lebanese, 1983; and Israeli-Jordanian, 1994) illuminate important variables for forging new paths to successful negotiation. By applying his framework to a broad range of power brokers and time periods, Podeh also sheds light on numerous incidents that contradict official narratives. This unique approach is poised to reshape the realm of conflict resolution. "Drawing on a newly developed theoretical definition of "missed opportunity." Chances for Peace uses extensive sources in English, Hebrew, and Arabic to systematically measure the potentiality levels of opportunity across some ninety years of attempted negotiations in the Arab-Israeli conflict. With enlightening revelations that defy conventional widsom, this study provides a balanced account of the most significant attempts to forge peace, initiated by the world's superpowers, the Arabs (including the Palestinians), and Israel. From Arab-Zionist negotiations at the end of World War I to the subsequent partition, the aftermath of the 1967 War and the Sadat Initiative, and numerous agreements throughout the 1980s and 1990s, concluding with the Annapolis conference in 2007 and the Abu Mazen-Olmert talks in 2008, pioneering scholar Elie Podeh uses empirical criteria and diverse secondary sources to assess the protagonists' roles at more than two dozen key junctures. A resource that brings together historiography, political science, and the practice of peace negotiation, Podeh's insightful exploration also showcases opportunities that were not missed. Three agreements in particular (Israeli-Egyptian, 1979; Israeli-Lebanese, 1983; and Israeli-Jordanian, 1994) illuminate important variables for forging new paths to successful negotiation. By applying his framework to a broad range of power brokers and time periods, Podeh also sheds light on numerous incidents that contradict offical narratives. An ambitious work that will stir debate while inspiring new applications of a lens that defines, measures, and applies the missed opportunity concept, this unique book is poised to reshape the realm of conflict resolution"--Jacket "Drawing on a newly developed theoretical definition of "missed opportunity," Chances for Peace uses extensive sources in English, Hebrew, and Arabic to systematically measure the potentiality levels of opportunity across some ninety years of attempted negotiations in the Arab-Israeli conflict. With enlightening revelations that defy conventional wisdom, this study provides a balanced account of the most significant attempts to forge peace, initiated by the world's superpowers, the Arabs (including the Palestinians), and Israel. From Arab-Zionist negotiations at the end of World War I to the subsequent partition, the aftermath of the 1967 War and the Sadat Initiative, and numerous agreements throughout the 1980s and 1990s, concluding with the Annapolis Conference in 2007 and the Abu Mazen-Olmert talks in 2008, pioneering scholar Elie Podeh uses empirical criteria and diverse secondary sources to assess the protagonists' roles at more than two dozen key junctures. A resource that brings together historiography, political science, and the practice of peace negotiation, Podeh's insightful exploration also showcases opportunities that were not missed. Three agreements in particular (Israeli-Egyptian, 1979; Israeli-Lebanese, 1983; and Israeli-Jordanian, 1994) illuminate important variables for forging new paths to successful negotiation. By applying his framework to a broad range of power brokers and time periods, Podeh also sheds light on numerous incidents that contradict official narratives. This unique approach is poised to reshape the realm of conflict resolution."-- From Amazon List of Maps and Tables 12 Preface 14 Prologue. A Story of an Opportunity Not Missed 18 Introduction 22 1. The Faysal-Weizmann Agreement (1919) 35 2. The Peel Plan for Partition (1937) 44 3. The UN Partition Plan (1947) 53 4. Israeli-Jordanian Negotiations (1946–1951) 64 5. Israel and Syria: The Husni Zaʿim Initiative (1949) 75 6. Israeli-Egyptian Relations: The Alpha Plan and the Anderson Mission (1949–1956) 85 7. Egyptian-Israeli Contacts (1965–1966) 95 8. Israel’s Peace Overtures in the Post-1967 Period 100 9. The Rogers Plan (1969) 110 10. The Jarring Mission and the Sadat Initiative (1971) 119 11. Disengagement Agreements with Egypt and Syria (1973–1975) 139 12. The Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty: An Opportunity Not Missed (1979) 154 13. The Arab Peace Plan and the Reagan Plan (September 1982) 174 14. The Israeli-Lebanese Peace Agreement (May 1983) 190 15. The London Agreement (April 1987) 201 16. The Shultz Initiative and the Shamir Peace Plan (1988 and 1989) 213 17. The Madrid Conferenceand the Oslo Agreements (1991 and 1993–2000) 225 18. The Israeli-Jordanian Peace Treaty (1994) 252 19. Israeli-Syrian Negotiations (1991–2000) 262 20. The Camp David Summit, the Clinton Parameters, and the Taba Talks (July 2000–January 2001) 293 21. The Arab Peace Initiative (2002–2014) 321 22. The US Road Map (April 2003) 341 23. The Annapolis Conference and Abu Mazen–Olmert Talks (2007–2008) 357 Conclusions 376 Postscript 386 References 390 Index 414