Compromising Palestine: A Guide to Final Status Negotiations

In response to the challenges of bringing the tenacious Israeli-Palestinian conflict to an end, many have offered grand historical perspectives, vague formulas, or visionary new proposals. Aharon Klieman, however, goes beyond abstract reflections to offer a clear and practical assessment of which issues will be important in the upcoming negotiations, and why. At the top of his list is the partitionist strategy of dividing land through political and territorial compromise.

Territorial partition―an idea circulating for over sixty years―becomes more prominent now, according to Klieman, and is the only viable option (if any) for ending the conflict. Compromising Palestine argues that while the Oslo peace accords are an important declaration of principles and provide a mechanism for peace, they are singularly ambiguous and do not provide tangible solutions, which must be sought through practical compromises and concrete plans followed to the letter by both sides.

Falling between broad general discussion and actual operational plans, this concise, clearly focused, and beautifully written book will provide a very useful reference point for anyone following the peace process―whether academic, policy maker, or general reader―and will contribute to the quality of analysis at each stage of the debate during the crucial final status period.

Aharon Klieman is professor of international relations and senior researcher at the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv University.