Quest for Peace: United States-Israeli Relations and the Arab-Israeli Conflict

by Bernard Reich

The Arab-Israeli conflict continues to ad­versely affect the international system and its resolution has been a major focus of U.S. policy as well as the overriding concern of Israel. This study examines the nature of the U.S.-Israeli special relationship in the con­text of the quest for resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the establishment of peace in the Middle East. Its purpose is to describe and elucidate policy and to ana­lyze rationales, not to prescribe or recom­mend, praise or criticize. Although the main focus is from the June War of 1967 to the September 1975 Sinai II agreement, it delves into the broader background of the relationship from the period of Israel's in­dependence. After an introductory chapter discussing the years prior to the June War, the sub­sequent chapters deal in comprehensive and annotated detail with the period from the June War to Sinai II. A final chapter identifies the elements in the U.S. com­mitment to Israel and analyzes the nature of the special relationship in the framework of the 1975 accord. Quest for Peace is not a diplomatic his­tory designed to record all events in the relationship, although much of the chron­ological evolution is presented, but rather it seeks to provide a description and an anal­ysis of both U.S. and Israeli policy—the interaction of the two states—at each criti­cal stage of the evolving relationship within the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the broader regional and international en­vironment. Contemporary political analysis is al­ways made more difficult by the non­availability of some secret governmental papers, but there is a wealth of sources that render this gap in public information not critical. This volume is extensively doc­umented to provide the reader with refer­ences to supporting evidence and for fur­ther elaboration—and to present alternative interpretations and contrasting per­spectives. In providing the documentation, substantial reliance has been placed on the statements of the policymakers themselves. The euphoria that has characterized U.S.-Israel relations in much of the period between the June and October wars and after has been replaced by a greater uncer­tainty. But, despite differences on tactics and specific issues, the goodwill, general friendship, and support of the United States for Israel continues to be an integral part of U.S. policy in the Middle East and a central element in the U.S. approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

495 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977