Chronicle of a War Foretold : How Mideast Peace Became America's Fight

This prescient narrative reveals how crumbling Mideast relations dashed the promise of peace and fostered the terrorist movement. Norman Spector — previous Canadian ambassador to Israel — documents how the inability to gain peace in the Mideast has caused death and destruction far outside Israel and the contested Palestinian lands, with the ominous promise of more to come. Based on his firsthand experiences with the major players and events, from the Rabin assassination through 9/11 and the war on Afghanistan, Spector analyzes how the same forces and beliefs that led to the downward spiral in relations between Israelis and Palestinians spawned the bombing of the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Contents 4 Acknowledgements 8 Prologue 10 I. Thinking About the Conflict 24 Quebec and Palestine: Cultures Warring in the Bosom of a Single State 29 In the Name of Religion 34 Are Secular Judges Changing the Nature of Israel? 36 Postcolonial Trauma: How Durban Got Hijacked 39 Battle against Terrorism Exposes Many Lies 42 Conflict Springs from the Failure to Accept Israel 44 II. Meeting the Key Players 48 The Troubling Legacy of Yitzhak Rabin 51 The Cloudy Outlook for Shimon Peres 55 Arafat, Peres and the Prospects for Mideast Peace 58 The Test of Israel’s Netanyahu 61 Mr. Netanyahu’s Line 64 Ehud Barak Waits in Israel’s Wings 66 Why Netanyahu Is in Political Trouble 69 Mr. Arafat Comes Calling 72 Where Does Ehud Barak Go from Here? 74 Arafat and Sharon Deserve Each Other 76 III. The Oslo Agreement: What Went Wrong? 80 The Skill of Binyamin Netanyahu 85 Lurching toward a Mideast Settlement 88 Is There Any Life Left in the Oslo Peace Process? 91 The National Malaise of Israel 94 Something Positive Is Stirring in Israel 97 The Oslo Agreement: Tattered But Hanging In 99 Why Security Has Been the Deal-Breaker at Wye 102 Is Barak Really to Blame? 104 The Mitchell Report: The U.S. Plan for Resolving the Mideast Conflict 107 Saudi Proposal Offers a Glimmer of Hope 110 Sharon Must Go, But Arafat First 112 IV. Mediators and Moralizers: The Role of the International Community 116 The Americans’ Mideast Woes 120 How Canada Can Contribute to Mideast Peace 123 Tony Blair Meets the Mideast Conflict 126 “Advice” to Candidates for Leadership of the Liberal Party 129 Why John Manley Should Have Stayed Home 131 Take a Deep Breath before You Start Pushing Israel 133 Good Thing Ottawa’s Mideast Words Don’t Matter 135 J’Accuse Foreign Minister Bill Graham 138 What Happens If the United States Says Jump, and Nobody Moves? 140 Through the Looking Glass, Mideast Style 142 Play Ball with Bush 144 V. The War of 9/11 148 Thoughts the Day after September 11: Goin’ Down the Israeli Road to Thwart Terror 152 The Brink of War 154 When Bush Comes to Shove 157 Now Is the Time to Question the Government 160 Arabic Network Is Winning War of the Airwaves 162 Terrorist Attacks Prompt Questions About Canada 164 Mideast Truths 167 Will It Ever Be Enough? 169 Canada’s Muddled Message Is a Joke 172 How Canada Can Get Back in the Game 174 West Wing Guest List Tells the Tale: Arafat Not Welcome 176 Epilogue 179 Chronology 186 About the Author 192 In November 1993, On The Lawns Of The White House, Israel And The Palestinians Signed The Oslo Agreement. A Year Later, Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin And Shimon Peres Received The Nobel Prize In Recognition Of This Historic Achievement. What Happened On The Road To Peace? Norman Spector Arrived In The Mideast In February 1992 And Spent Half The Decade There - First As Canada's Ambassador To Israel And To The Palestinian Authority, Later As Publisher Of The Jerusalem Post. An Insider's Perspective Informs This Selection Of His Best Columns From The Past Seven Years. Having Met Many Of The Key Players On Both Sides, He Clarifies The True Nature Of The Mideast Conflict. Chronicle Of A War Foretold Analyzes How The Same Forces And Beliefs That Led To The Downward Spiral In Relations Between Israel And The Palestinians Spawned The Terrorist Attacks Of 9/11--jacket. I. Thinking About The Conflict -- Ii. Meeting The Key Players -- Iii. The Oslo Agreement: What Went Wrong? -- Iv. Mediators And Moralizers: The Role Of The International Community -- V. The War Of 9/11 -- Epilogue: Is Peace Possible? Norman Spector. Provides a collection of columns on the conflicts in the Middle East, their relationship to the United States, and the factors that lead to the September 11 terrorist attacks.