In May 2011, President Barack Obama gave speeches about the Middle East that discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, using terms like “final status issues”, “1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps”, and “demographic realities”. Obama’s speeches were strongly denounced by both the Palestinians and the Israelis, while political commentators across the world debated what Obama’s speeches actually meant. 

Four months later, in September, the Palestinians sought statehood at the United Nations. Why would the Palestinians go to the UN after President Obama had made clear for months that the US would ultimately prevent any attempt at Palestinian statehood with its veto in the Security Council?

Welcome to the Middle East conflict, a conflict that is technically 63 years old and counting but has its roots in over 2,000 years of history. With so much time and history, the peace process has become laden with unique, politically sensitive concepts like the right of return, contiguous borders, secure borders, demilitarized zones, and security requirements, with players like the Quartet, Palestinian Authority, Fatah, Hamas, the Arab League, and Israel. Over time, it has become exceedingly difficult for even sophisticated political pundits and followers to keep track of it all.

Until now. Decoding the Conflict Between Israel and the Palestinians cannot solve the peace process, nor does it heap credit or blame on any of the sides. This book goes about breaking down all the terms often thrown around in the Middle East that make the peace process a political minefield, and one that both beginners and sophisticated followers have a hard time keeping up with. Serving as both a glossary and primer of the history of the Middle East conflict and the peace process, Decoding the Conflict Between Israel and the Palestinians defines the terms, looks at the region’s history, discusses previous attempts at negotiations like Oslo and Taba, identifies important figures, and explains the arguments and mentalities of each side, showing why the conflict has proven so intractable. Decoding the Conflict Between Israel and the Palestinians will get you up to speed on the history of the Middle East conflict and serve as a reference point that will help keep you updated as events in the region unfold.