Preventing Palestine: A Political History from Camp David to Oslo

On the fortieth anniversary of the Camp David Accords, a groundbreaking new history that shows how Egyptian-Israeli peace ensured lasting Palestinian statelessnessFor seventy years Israel has existed as a state, and for forty years it has honored a peace treaty with Egypt that is widely viewed as a triumph of U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East. Yet the Palestinians-the would-be beneficiaries of a vision for a comprehensive regional settlement that led to the Camp David Accords in 1978-remain stateless to this day. How and why Palestinian statelessness persists are the central questions of Seth Anziska’s groundbreaking book, which explores the complex legacy of the agreement brokered by President Jimmy Carter.Based on newly declassified international sources, Preventing Palestine charts the emergence of the Middle East peace process, including the establishment of a separate track to deal with the issue of Palestine. At the very start of this process, Anziska argues, Egyptian-Israeli peace came at the expense of the sovereignty of the Palestinians, whose aspirations for a homeland alongside Israel faced crippling challenges. With the introduction of the idea of restrictive autonomy, Israeli settlement expansion, and Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, the chances for Palestinian statehood narrowed even further. The first Intifada in 1987 and the end of the Cold War brought new opportunities for a Palestinian state, but many players, refusing to see Palestinians as a nation or a people, continued to steer international diplomacy away from their cause.Combining astute political analysis, extensive original research, and interviews with diplomats, military veterans, and communal leaders, Preventing Palestine offers a bold new interpretation of a highly charged struggle for self-determination.

Reviews of Preventing Palestine: A Political History from Camp David to Oslo

"Anziska's meticulous research and compelling analysis of the unexpected continuity that runs throughout the turbulent years of Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking makes this book invaluable for expert and layperson alike."–Gershon Shafir, author of A Half Century of Occupation: Israel, Palestine, and the World's Most Intractable Conflict "In Israel's animated political discourse, the Camp David Accords are universally acclaimed while the Oslo Accords are bitterly debated between left and right. In this perceptive, thoroughly researched book, Seth Anziska reveals the strong connection between the two agreements and the extent to which Oslo drew on Camp David's autonomy plan. Preventing Palestine is mandatory reading for understanding the complexities and ironies of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."–Itamar Rabinovich, author of Yitzhak Rabin: Soldier, Leader, Statesman "Brilliantly conceived and researched, Preventing Palestine joins a very short list of essential works on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and on U.S. relations with the Middle East."–Bradley Simpson, University of Connecticut "Probing deep causes, Preventing Palestine vividly recounts the drive by Palestinians to achieve national self-determination and a parallel effort by Israelis to thwart that movement. We already know the outcome of the contest (at least so far), but Seth Anziska's story is gripping nonetheless. And highly revealing: for the author also lays bare the willingness of Americans and even Egyptians to go along with the Israeli campaign. Anziska transforms our understanding of recent Middle Eastern history."–Salim Yaqub, University of California, Santa Barbara