Synopses & Reviews
The violent confrontation that erupted in September 2000 between Israel and the Palestinians developed into a protracted low-intensity confrontation. The confrontation exacted a heavy human toll on both sides, inflicted severe economic damage, and raised the level of enmity, hostility, and mistrust to levels that are hampering dialogue, not only in regard to the resolution of the conflict but also about its very management. The book focused on the causes of the confrontation, the goals of the sides, the distinctive characteristics of the confrontation as a low intensity conflict, the management strategies adopted by the sides, the reasons for the failure of the efforts to end or moderate the confrontation, the outcomes of the confrontation, its impact on both societies in different domains, and the phenomenon of unilateral disengagement as a unique strategy of conflict management in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Review
"This book represents the state of the art in the application of the concepts of conflict resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It brings together some of the best minds in Israeli academia in a systematic assault on the key quandaries posed by the collapse of the peace process and the intensified violence of recent years. Unlike most such anthologies, it integrates the contributions of leading analysts, representing diverse approaches and disciplines, in a well-structured and mutually reinforcing framework, making this work extremely valuable in both academic and policy-making contexts. Of particular interest is the convincing delineation of the transition from conflict resolution to conflict management as the overarching theme of the enterprise. In short, this is cutting-edge research that is indispensable to anyone with a strong interest in the problematic current state of Israeli-Palestinian relations--and in the prospects, nevertheless, for future amelioration."
-- Alan Dowty, Professor Emeritus, University of Notre Dame, and President of the Association for Israel Studies "Professor Yaacov Bar-Siman-Tov has assembled an outstanding panel of experts at the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (JIIS) to chronicle and interpret a sad and disappointing turn in policy and attitudes on the Israel-Palestinian conflict. This landmark study describes and analyzes how hopes for "conflict resolution" that pervaded the "Oslo era" from 1993 to 2000 shifted to settling for "conflict management" after Camp David 2 failed and the Al-Aksa Intifada began. Focusing on the years 2000-2004, the study team clearly documents how the spirit of negotiation and hopes for peace turned to violence, renewed occupation, and unilateralism."
--Professor Russell A. Stone, Director, Center for Israel Studies, and Chair, Department of Sociology, American University, Washington DC
Synopsis
This book focuses on the September 2000 confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians, examining the characteristics of a confrontation that developed into a protracted low-intensity conflict. Topics addressed include the strategies adopted by both sides, the reasons for the failure of moderation, and the phenomenon of unilateral disengagement.
About the Author
Yaacov Bar-Siman-Tov is Giancarlo Elia Valori Professor of International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Director of the Swiss Center for Conflict Research, Management and Resolution, and the Head of the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies. He is an expert of conflict management, resolution, negotiations and the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is the author of many articles, and of five books: The Israeli-Egyptian War of Attrition 1969-1970: A Case Study of Limited Local War (1980), Linkage Politics in the Middle East: Syria Between Domestic and External Conflict, 1961-1970 (1983), Israel the Superpowers and the War in the Middle East (1987), Israel ant Peace Process, 1977-1982: In Search of Legitimacy for Peace (1994), The Shift from War to Peace: The Complexity of Decision-Making-The Israeli Case (1996). He is the editor and co-editor of five books. Among them: Stable Peace Among Nations (2000), From Conflict Resolution to Reconciliation (2004).