The conflict between Palestine and Israel is one of the most highly publicized and bitter struggles of modern times, a dangerous tinderbox always poised to set the Middle East aflame, and to draw the United States into the fire. In this volume the author illuminates the history of the problem, reducing it to its very essence. He explores the Palestinian-Israeli dispute in twenty-year segments, to highlight the historical complexity of the conflict throughout successive decades. Each chapter starts with an examination of the relationships among people and events that marked particular years as historical stepping stones in the evolution of the conflict, including the 1897 Basel Congress, the 1917 Balfour Declaration and British occupation of Palestine, and the 1947 U.N. Partition Plan and the war for Palestine. Providing an exploration of the main issues, the author explores not only the historical basis of the conflict, but also looks at how and why partition has been so difficult and how efforts to restore peace continue today.

Includes maps of: Relief Map; Ottoman Administrative Divisions; Boundaries of the Palestine Mandate; Jewish Land Purchases; 1937 Peel Commission Partition Plan; 1947 U.N. Partition Plan; 1949 U.N. Armistice Lines; Main Palestinian Refugee Camps; 1967 War; Jerusalem since 1967; Map of Oslo Areas A, B, and C; Walls and Barriers in the West Bank.

Ottoman Palestine, 1897-1917 --British Palestine, 1917-37 -- Palestine partitioned, 1937-47 -- Atzmaut and Nakba, 1947-67 -- Occupation, 1967-87 -- The rise and fall of the peace process, 1987-2007 -- Chronology.