A history of the arab israeli conflict fifth edition

The Abraham Accords merely dealt a coup de grace to this myth, but it had in fact been dying for decades. Two Gulf wars, in and , proved once again that the Arabs had faced bigger threats than Israel, and the Arab Spring of demonstrated that Middle Easterners had other things on their minds, such as democracy and freedom. But there is one achievement that these diplomatic breakthroughs have not produced: an end to Middle Eastern conflict.

On the contrary, such disputes will continue to plague the region and even proliferate. In place of the Arab-Israeli conflict, there is now a broader and potentially more explosive showdown between the Sunnis supported by Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and the Gulf states, and the Shiites backed by Iran.

There is battle between moderate Sunnis and Islamic extremists, many of them embraced by Turkey. And there will still be civil wars in Syria and Yemen and chronic instability in Iraq.

And there will be an unresolved conflict between Israel and the Palestinians waged in the U. That is a hard reality. Like the Arab-Israeli linkage concept, the reduced Israeli-Palestinian version was disproved by the Abraham Accords and the agreement between Israel and Morocco.

Though the Arab signatories continued to pledge fealty to the Palestinian cause, they effectively sidestepped the issue and even hinted that the Palestinians themselves were to blame. Eager to access Israeli technology and to ally with Israeli military strength, many Arabs states were ready to move on.

Their decision has irrevocably changed the region and created numerous opportunities. They will also alter the peacemaking paradigm. If, in the past, the assumption was that Arab countries would first sign peace agreements with Israel and then only gradually normalize their relations with it, now normalization comes first with peace rendered largely a formality. If formerly Israel enjoyed peace with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan but not with their citizens, now the peace is not only between governments but peoples.

But there is one achievement that these diplomatic breakthroughs have not produced: an end to Middle Eastern conflict. On the contrary, such disputes will continue to plague the region and even proliferate. In place of the Arab-Israeli conflict, there is now a broader and potentially more explosive showdown between the Sunnis supported by Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and the Gulf states, and the Shiites backed by Iran.

There is battle between moderate Sunnis and Islamic extremists, many of them embraced by Turkey. And there will still be civil wars in Syria and Yemen and chronic instability in Iraq. And there will be an unresolved conflict between Israel and the Palestinians waged in the U. Subscribe to our newsletter. Menu Icon. Michael Oren. Klausner This book provides a good overview of the Arab-Israel conflict and is recommended by a number of professors teaching this material. Palestinian Identity by Rashid Khalidi This is an overview of the Palestinian case, especially of how their national identity is tied to the land.

People Like Us, Misrepresenting the Middle East by Joris Luyendijk As a reporter in the Middle East, the author examines the gap between what he witnessed and what was reported in the media.

When his niece is killed by a Palestinian terrorist, he begins to dedicate his life to understanding both sides of the conflict and advocating for peace. Photo: GPO Israel. Photo: Israel GPO. Photo: AP. Young Palestinians throwing stones at Israeli soldiers during first Intifada, Photo: US National Archive.

Photo: CNN. The security barrier between Israel and the West Bank under construction. Photo: Noam Moskowitz. Photo, Public Domain.