Prophets without Honor

I am one of those prophets who lost his honor by ending a war of more than half a century in my country. I did it with the invaluable advice of my good friend Shlomo Ben-Ami, whose profound knowledge and experience in the difficult art of peacemaking is demonstrated in this fascinating book. Anyone who wants to understand the nature and immense complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and why it is so different from any other conflict, must read Prophets without Honor. I certainly learned a lot. * Juan Manuel Santos, 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Former President of Colombia * Ben-Ami combines the skills of a professional historian with first-hand experience of the policymaker to produce a highly readable, illuminating, and riveting account of the Israeli-Palestinian quest for peace. His account is enhanced by vivid pen-portraits of the principal players, perceptive analysis of the obstacles on the road to peace, genuine soul-searching, and a most thoughtful distillation of the lessons of history. The book is a must read for would-be peacemakers and for anyone interested in this bitter, protracted, and intractable conflict. * Avi Shlaim, Emeritus Professor of International Relations, University of Oxford, and author of The Iron Wall * Prophets without Honor is a masterpiece-sad, tragic, and true. Part V, Defying the Logic of Conflict Resolution, left me breathless, with its transcendent analysis of the Israel-Palestine conundrum within the context of global conflicts. * Daniel Kurtzer, S. Daniel Abraham Professor in Middle East Policy Studies at Princeton University and former U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Israel * In this fascinating, deeply insightful, and painfully honest account of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and their consequences, Ben-Ami brings the perspective of both an insider negotiator and outsider scholar to understanding the world's best-known intractable conflict. While analyzing the enormous obstacles to progress, he offers nuanced historical lessons that illuminate the long and hard path forward to a possible peace. Highly recommended for all those interested in conflict resolution and Middle Eastern history and politics. * William Ury, coauthor of Getting to Yes and co-founder of Harvard's Program on Negotiation * A keen acolyte of the human condition, Ben-Ami conveys sparkle to a dark, mean and cruel conflict, affords depth to shallow, tragic and devious alley cats, trails a tortuous road to nowhere and delivers lush scholarship to an arid landscape exuding a unique generosity of spirit. A cavernous sense of melancholy casts a deep shadow as if echoing: 'He that increaseth wisdom, increaseth sorrow.' The ghost of Schopenhauer hovers over a scintillating thriller of political psychology. * Hussein Agha, Senior Associate Member of St Antony's College, University of Oxford, and coauthor of A Framework for a Palestinian National Security Doctrine *