The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace (Hardcover)

"The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace}" is an extraordinary book which chronicles the intricate dance toward peace over a period of 12 years - with all the missteps and crushed toes in between. The period was filled with extraordinary optimism and terrible frustration, from the highlights of the face-to-face negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, which led to the signing of the Oslo Accords, made famous by the handshake on the White House lawn between the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, to the last days of negotiations before President Clinton left office.

Prime Minister Rabin was murdered by a Jewish fanatic two years after the Accords were signed. It was hoped that Shimon Peres, Rabin's successor, would win the 1996 elections. Suicide bombings and violence caused Israelis to seriously doubt the Palestinians' intentions to be "Partners in Peace." Peres was defeated by Benjamin Netanyahu, a conservative and a hawk. The situation improved when Ehud Barak won the 1999 Israeli election. Unlike Netanyahu, Barak pledged to do everything in his power to work for peace. In July 2000 President Clinton met with both Barak and Arafat at Camp David to come to a final agreement. Although Barak made surprising offers, detailed in the book, Arafat backed out. Clinton did not give up until he had to turn the White House over to George W. Bush. The author believes that Arafat was never up to "ending the conflict" - for him "violence was always an option." And then the al-Aqsa intifada began.

This political memoir is a work of historical significance. Ross, the ultimate insider, shrewdly analyzes the entire process, and really sets the record straight. Ross writes, "Only by telling this story can we debunk the myths that prevent all sides from seeing reality and adjusting to it. Indeed, only by telling the story can we hope to learn the lessons from the past and make it possible to shape a different future."

I must say I am surprised at how easy it is to read "The Missing Peace" - all 872 pages. Although the book is a bit too long, the narrative moves at a good pace and is filled with fascinating anecdotes and insightful descriptions of the personalities involved. There are also poignant passages, as when Ross, with prescience, tells a Palestinian negotiator that after the Camp David debacle, G.W. Bush would not touch the issue - that Sharon would become Prime Minister and everything the Palestinians had gained would be lost. So very sad.
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The writer also being lauded as having spent more time negotiating with Yasser Arafat than anyone else.

Whether or not the reader will agree with all of these sentiments or the opinions included within this study, the individual cannot fail to be impressed with how eminently readable this rather lengthy investigation is.

Despite the realms of text and detail available, having studied these issues myself for some time, I cannot shake the feeling that many officials still have not grasped an agenda which seeks nothing less than the "eradication of the Jewish state" as detailed in the "Palestinian National Charter". Whilst the book refers to the process discussed in relation to the latter's "revocation", the Charter still remains in effect and valid.

Given such an understanding, then the reader can perhaps better understand the context of the negotations and read between the lines as to what actually constituted the refusal by Arafat and his entourage, to accept what are cited as the most far reaching concessions and offers for peace ever made by an Israeli government.

Whilst the book attaches significance to so many individual issues, I feel frustrated that the aforementioned point is apparently not understood. Others may disagree.

The full text of the offer of a peaceful settlement is included in the book's appendix. An offer cited as having been agreed to and accepted by the former Israeli PM Barak but refused by the late Palestinian Chairman Arafat.

Essentially this settlement offer is described as having revolved around an offer to provide the Palestinian side with a state of their own which included some 99% of what Arafat actually demanded.

The book describes this as being namely a deal upon settlements, refugees and Jerusalem's Temple Mount/Holy places together with the inclusion of East Jerusalem as a capital of a Palestinian state.

This "solution" is also cited to have included between 94% and 96% of "West Bank" territory inclusive of a "land-swap" of between 1% and 3%.

A number of other issues being left for negotiation, such as the degree of militarization of any future Palestinian state etc..

Perhaps the most crucial declaration and admission of all cited herein was that the agreement would result in an "end of conflict" with it's implementation putting an "end to all claims".

The book describes how Arafat refused to accept this offer and instead is cited as returning to violence and the outbreak of another "intifada" having failed to obtain 100% of what the Palestinian/Arab side had demanded.

I would consider this book to be valuable for anyone interested in studying the Middle East peace process itself where it would be a highly useful reference.

However I would also be interested in accessing the opinions of other officials involved in relation to such a highly complex and contentious subject.

For this purpose I recommend the following books;-

"The Mideast Peace Process: An Autopsy" by Neal Kozodoy

"The High Cost of Peace" by Yossef Bodansky.

Thank you.