This book explores the personal, domestic, regional, and international factors that led Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and other top aides to negotiate the peace accords. It describes in fascinating detail the intricacies of the Israel-Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) bargaining.

David Makovsky

After decades of being seen by Israel as a terrorist and arch-enemy, Yasser Arafat became a partner in the peace-making progress. In one of the most extraordinary examples of secret diplomacy this century, Israel's Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and other senior aides privately negotiated an end to years of hostility between Arabs and Israelis. Exploring the personal, domestic, regional and international factors leading to the peace accords, this book charts key episodes such as Israel's deportation of radical Islamic activists in December 1992, and its retaliation against Hizbollah rocket attacks from south Lebanon in July 1993. Interview with Israeli, Palestinian, American and Egyptian officials are used to build up a detailed picture of the Israeli-PLO bargaining process, culminating in the historic breakthrough in Oslo.

Foreword -- Prologue -- The Unforeseen Peace Process -- Drafting the Declaration of Principles -- Upgrading the Oslo Talks -- Brinkmanship -- The Israeli Political Environment -- International and Regional Changes -- Rabin's Personal Road to Oslo -- The Lessons of Oslo -- Epilogue -- Appendixes -- Security Council Resolution 242 -- The Camp David Accords -- The Reagan Peage Initiative -- Reagan's Talking Points 2 -- The London Agreement 3 -- The Shultz Initiative 4 -- Israeli Government Peace Initiative 5 -- U.S.-Soviet Letter of Invitation to the Madrid Peace Conference -- Israeli Labor Party Platform -- U.S. Proposal for Israeli-Palestinian Statement 6 -- Rabin's Letter to Arafat Recognizing the Plo -- Arafat's Letter to Rabin Recognizing Israel's Right to Exist in Peace -- Arafat's Letter to Norwegian Foreign Minister Johan Jorgen Holst on the Intifada -- The Israel-Plo Declaration of Principles -- Excerpts from Speeches at the Secret Oslo Signing Ceremony -- Rabin's Speech at the Dop Signing Ceremony -- Arafat's Speech at the Dop Signing Ceremony -- Clinton's Speech at Dop Signing Ceremony -- Peres' Letter to Norwegian Foreign Minister Johan Jorgen Holst on the Status of Jerusalem -- Senior Israeli Officials who Report Directly to Rabin -- Chronology -- About the Book and Author