Bregman - Elusive peace: how the Holy Land defeated America

PENGUIN BOOKS

Elusive Peace

Ahron (Ronnie) Bregman was born in Israel in 1958. After six years of army service, during which he took part in the 1982 Lebanon War and reached the rank of captain, he left the army to work at the Knesset as a parliamentary assistant. He studied in Jerusalem and London, completing a doctorate in War Studies at Kings College London in 1994. He is the author of The Fifty Years War: Israel and the Arabs (1998, with Jihan el-Tahri), the companion book to a six-part BBC/PBS television documentary of which Elusive Peace is the sequel, Israels Wars: A History since 1947 (2000) and A History of Israel (2002). He is currently writing A History of the Occupied Territories for Penguin. An academic and journalist, Bregman teaches at the Department of War Studies, Kings College London. He lives in London with his wife, Dana, and their children Daniel, Maya and Adam.

AHRON BREGMAN

How the Holy Land Defeated America

PENGUIN BOOKS

PENGUIN BOOKS

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First published 2005
1

Copyright Ahron Bregman and Brook Lapping Productions Ltd, 2005

All rights reserved

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Israel and the Arabs: Elusive Peace is a Brook Lapping production for BBC TV

Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

ISBN: 978-0-14-190613-3

For Dana

PART ONE
The Barak Years 19992001

PART TWO
Sharon vs Arafat 20012004

Photographic acknowledgements are given in parentheses.

.1 Israeli demonstration against withdrawal from Golan Heights ( Reuters/Corbis)

.2 The American negotiating team at Shepherdstown ( Robert Malley)

.1 Clinton watches Arafat and Barak meet at Camp David summit ( Reuters/Corbis)

.2 Clinton meets Arafat and Barak at Camp David ( Reuters/Corbis)

.1 Ariel Sharon at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem ( Reuters/Corbis)

.2 Moslems attend a rally in front of the Dome of the Rock ( Ammar Awad/Reuters/Corbis)

.1 Members of the militant group Islamic Jihad march through Gaza City ( Reuters/Corbis)

.2 An Israeli bus burning at Beit Lid junction near Netanya ( Reuters/Corbis)

.1 A poster of Yasser Arafat behind an Israeli tank in Ramallah during Operation Defensive Shield ( Reuters/Corbis)

.2 A Palestinian child in the Jenin refugee camp ( Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

.1 Israeli forces blow up a building in Yasser Arafats compound in Ramallah ( Getty Images)

.2 Arafat inspects his bed following a nearby explosion ( David Silverman/Getty Images)

.1 Israeli high-school students look at pictures of Israelis killed by Palestinian militants ( Gil Cohen Magen/Reuters/Corbis)

.2 A Palestinian looks at a poster of Palestinians killed by Israelis ( David Silverman/Getty Images)

.1 The helicopter carrying the body of Yasser Arafat ( Shaul Schwarz/Corbis)

.2 Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) sits under a portrait of Yasser Arafat ( Ammar Awar/Reuters/Corbis)

This book, which accompanies the BBC/PBS television series, is in many ways as much the work of my colleagues at Brook Lapping Productions as it is mine. We spent 11 months together on and off aeroplanes and flat sharing in Jerusalem. Between us we interviewed nearly 100 top decision makers and officials, often both off-the-record and on film. Then we each took our piles of transcripts home, they to edit a series of documentaries, I to write this book.

Series Producer Norma Percy led the effort with her typical determination and tenacity, leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to unveil the behind-the-scenes drama in the search for peace in the Middle East. As with her previous television documentaries, Norma leaves behind not only engrossing films but also an impressive archive, mainly a collection of in-depth filmed interviews with world leaders lodged at Kings Colleges Liddell Hart Centre, which will be invaluable to future generations of researchers. Series Producer and Director Mark Anderson brought with him vast experience and ability beneath his unflappable demeanour teaching me that a glass of Scotch, followed by red wine and a good dinner, is the best inspiration. Producer and Director Dan Edge proved that wisdom is not the prerogative of the older generation, and his charm, investigative mind and energy were critical to our success. Our film researcher Declan Smith quietly scoured the worlds archives for those undiscovered snippets, and was a pleasure to work with; Tom Raw, our talented researcher and coordinator, was an example of quiet efficiency and modesty; and Carrie Pennifer ensured that we were equipped for all our needs before leaving base. Norma, Mark, Dan and Tom have all read the manuscript and their comments were invaluable. Brian Lapping, head of Brook Lapping Productions, kept an eye on us from afar, but his interventions, when they came, were, as usual, sharp as a nail. I was fortunate to be part of this fantastic group of filmmakers, for which I am both humble and grateful.

Thanks are also due to Nava Mizrahi in Israel, who from her tiny car made sure the show went on despite the often enormous difficulties; Suha Arraf, who worked with us in the occupied territories; our translator Ora Silberstein; and Nili Aslan and Issa Freij, who filmed it all.

The series and, indeed, the book could not have been made without the interviewees, the Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Syrians, Americans, British, French and others, who were the real participants of the Middle East drama. Their willingness to share their experiences with us made it possible to produce the documentary and this book. The list of interviewees is included at the end of the book.

Parts of this book were written at Franklin College in Lugano, where for each of the last four years I have spent a few relaxing weeks teaching summer courses and catching up with unfinished projects. The peaceful atmosphere of this beautiful spot in the foothills of the Swiss Alps, and the warm welcome I always receive there, provided me with the peace of mind I needed to meet the often maddening deadlines. At Franklin, I would like to thank in particular: the Dean, Armando Zanecchia; Andrew Starcher; Morris Mottale; and my larger-than-life friend Mel (Melvin) Schlein.