Regardless of one's political outlook on the Middle East, Track-II diplomacy has emerged as an important instrument for all the parties to probe firsthand the true positions of the other sides. This book is essential reading for those seeking to understand the sources of much of the news—behind-the-scenes diplomacy between Israel and the Arab world.
Ambassador Dore Gold, former Permanent Representative of Israel to the UN
This is an outstanding book which will be widely read by scholars, practitioners, and generalists, and will likely appeal to a wide and perhaps even popular audience.It contains wonderful insights into the behind-the-scenes contexts and dicussions which have been pursued over the last several years in the Middle East. I salute the authors for their masterful accomplishments and congratulate them for the high quality of their examination.
Steven L. Spiegel, Associate Director, Burkle Center for International Relations and Professor of Political Science, University of California Los Angeles
This compelling Palestinian-Israeli narrative is both superb history and a needed political primer on how Track-II diplomacy can improve the prospects for official peace negotiations. The authors draw reasonable but not overly grandiouse conclusions on the potential contributions of Track-II efforts, whcih unfortunately are needed more than ever, and not just in the Middle East.
Jeffrey Boutwell, Executive Director, Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
Track-II is about diplomacy without diplomats. The book is a serious addition to the literature on conflict resolution.
Abdel Monem Said Aly, Director, Al-Ahram Center for Political Strategic Studies, Cairo