Behind the Uprising: Israelis, Jordanians, and Palestinians

(Hardback)

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Description

A complete account of the clandestine relationship between Israel and Jordan, two Middle East enemies that have reached peace without signing a peace treaty. In this book, Melman and Raviv examine the hostile partnership by focusing on an unacknowledged, but powerful partnership among three key parties in the Middle East dispute: the Israelis, the Jordanians and the Palestinians. Based on interviews with participants in the secret diplomacy and on documents previously hidden from the public, this work describes Hussein's meetings with Israel's leaders and reveals how Israel and Jordan forged a relationship covering everything from "counter-terrorism to counter-mosquito tactics". The book begins and ends with an explanation of how a quarter of a century of secret contacts led to an explosion of frustration in the occupied territories, resulting in the Palestinian uprising. This book on Israel's clandestine diplomacy has had the benefit of access to first-hand sources, making "Behind the Uprising" a welcome source for students and scholars of the Middle East.

Reviews

"A great deal has been written about King Hussein's meetings with Israeli ministers, including myself. . .but few accounts have been as accurate, authoritative, and intimate."-Abba Eban, former Israeli Foreign Minister
"The authors are the first to deal thoroughly with the history of behind-the-scenes diplomacy between Israel and Jordan, compiling and expanding on persistent reports of secret contacts."-The Associated Press
"This book describes, in an exciting and detailed way, the relationship between Israel and Jordan, including secret diplomatic contacts. Now, when the subject is on the national agenda, the book gives important background material which helps in the understanding of the difficulty of the problem."-Gad Yaacobi, Cabinet Minister in Israel's government
"To those looking for the story behind yesterday's, today's, and tomorrow's headlines, and an explanation of events that at the time seemed coincidental and largely unconnected, I strongly recommend this fascinating study of an area where it was always said nothing changes, but in fact everything now seems to be changing."-Tom Fenton, Chief European Correspondent, CBS News
. . . for both the serious student of the Middle East as well as the casual observer, Behind the Uprising is an important contribution that makes today's dramatic headlines considerably more meaningful and understandable.-Jerusalem Post
. . . Melman and Raviv provide the full story, set in its proper historic context. Their lucid account recalls the origins of Israel's secret ties to Jordan and continues up to the current tensions resulting from the Palestinian uprising on the West Bank and Gaza--the intifada. . . . Melman and Raviv are at their best in describing the technical arrangements for Hussein's various contacts with Israel . . . for both the serious student of the Middle East as well as the casual observer, Behind the Uprising is an important contribution that makes today's dramatic headlines considerably more meaningful and understandable.-Washington Jewish Week
This account of Israel and Jordan presents and analyzes the relationship between two countries who have reached a peaceful resolution without the official sanction of a treaty. Journalists Melman and Raviv focus upon the developments of Palestinians, Israelis and Jordanians to explore how this peaceful relationship came to pass, basing their examinations upon interviews with secret negotiators and documents which never became public. Behind the Uprising thus offers more than the usual chronicle of already-known facts: it goes behind the scenes to examine power structures and relationships which have received relatively little public attention, it examines the works and methodology of leaders of both countries, and it surveys the foundations of agreements which were condcted in secret by both countries. Numerous footnotes offer references for scholarly readers who want insights on source documentation, but the chapters are lively and revealing enough for general-interest readers with special concerns about Middle East conflicts and issues. The result is a powerful documentary of secret negotiations and agreements which offers hope for a wider-ranging peace in the Middle East.-The Midwest Book Review
." . . for both the serious student of the Middle East as well as the casual observer, Behind the Uprising is an important contribution that makes today's dramatic headlines considerably more meaningful and understandable."-Jerusalem Post
." . . Melman and Raviv provide the full story, set in its proper historic context. Their lucid account recalls the origins of Israel's secret ties to Jordan and continues up to the current tensions resulting from the Palestinian uprising on the West Bank and Gaza--the intifada. . . . Melman and Raviv are at their best in describing the technical arrangements for Hussein's various contacts with Israel . . . for both the serious student of the Middle East as well as the casual observer, Behind the Uprising is an important contribution that makes today's dramatic headlines considerably more meaningful and understandable."-Washington Jewish Week
"This account of Israel and Jordan presents and analyzes the relationship between two countries who have reached a peaceful resolution without the official sanction of a treaty. Journalists Melman and Raviv focus upon the developments of Palestinians, Israelis and Jordanians to explore how this peaceful relationship came to pass, basing their examinations upon interviews with secret negotiators and documents which never became public. Behind the Uprising thus offers more than the usual chronicle of already-known facts: it goes behind the scenes to examine power structures and relationships which have received relatively little public attention, it examines the works and methodology of leaders of both countries, and it surveys the foundations of agreements which were condcted in secret by both countries. Numerous footnotes offer references for scholarly readers who want insights on source documentation, but the chapters are lively and revealing enough for general-interest readers with special concerns about Middle East conflicts and issues. The result is a powerful documentary of secret negotiations and agreements which offers hope for a wider-ranging peace in the Middle East."-The Midwest Book Review

Author Bio

YOSSI MELMAN, currently a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, is an Israeli newspaper columnist and a graduate of Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He is the author of The Master Terrorist as well as several articles concerning foreign policy and relations and secret intelligence. DAN RAVIV is a CBS News correspondent in London. He graduated from Harvard University, won two Overseas Press Club of America awards, and is currently coauthoring a second book with Yossi Melman on Israeli intelligence.