The Last Option: After Nasser, Arafat, & Saddam Hussein: The Quest for Peace in the Middle East

Kimche, David

ISBN 10: 0684194228 / ISBN 13: 9780684194226

Published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1991

About this Item

vii, 328 p. Maps. A Comment on the Sources. Index. The major political events that Israel has been engaged in over the past two decades, based on the author's personal experiences. Bookseller Inventory # 61876

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Last Option: After Nasser, Arafat, & ...

Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons, New York

Publication Date: 1991

Binding: Hardcover

Book Condition: Very good

Dust Jacket Condition: very good

Edition: First edition. First printing [stated].

About this title

Synopsis:

An Israeli provides an appraisal of Israel's political history, discussing his country's relations with Egypt and Lebanon, the Iran-Iraq conflict, Palestinian Arabs and the PLO, and the Gulf War

From Kirkus Reviews:

An Israeli insider's insightful account of 44 years of deadly superpower intrigue, inevitable Arab-Israeli wars, and elusive attempts at peace. English-born Kimche (coauthor, The Sandstorm, 1968) has had a front-row seat to decades of Mideast drama that have unfolded while he has served in the Israeli prime minister's office, including a stint as director-general of the Foreign Ministry. While his revealing chapters on Israel's role in the Iran-contra affair might have sufficed for an eye-opening short book or a long essay, Kimche (largely to our benefit) recaps the entire lengthy background to the current peace process, now slouching from Madrid to be born. Major points here include: Brezhnev's primary role in setting up the Six-Day War; Sadat's masterful deception of both American and Israeli experts in 1973; Carter's bungling of the peace process, which forced Sadat to Jerusalem; the US and French sabotage of a Lebanese treaty with Israel in 1982; and major US intelligence failures, from the Shah of Iran's terminal cancer to the ``Kuwaiti Lorelei.'' Finally, Kimche--an impassioned believer in the merits of Israel making a separate peace with Palestinians in the administered territories--bitterly blames Arafat and the Arab rejectionists for obstructing opportunities for peace, particularly during the summer of 1967. A controversial mix of history and opinion that's both timely and noteworthy. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.