Middle East Reappraisal
Harkabi, Yehoshafat
Middle East Reappraisal ISRAEL'S FATEFUL HOUR by Yehoshafat Harkabi Harper & Row. 256 pp. $22.50. Yehoshafat Harkabi formerly headed Israeli military intelligence, advised Prime Minister Menachem...
...Finally, Harkabi's work is an exceptionally rational discussion of the emotion-charged issues in the Middle East conflict...
...If you read only one book about the Middle East this year, this should probably be the book...
...He was, to put it simply, a leading Israeli hawk...
...decision to enter into talks with the Palestine Liberation Organization...
...A second notable feature is that though the book was published in Israel more than two years ago, it accurately anticipates the dramatic developments of recent weeks—including Yasir Arafat's recognition of Israel's right to exist and the U.S...
...Yehoshafat Harkabi formerly headed Israeli military intelligence, advised Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and played a prominent role in devising Israeli strategy toward the Palestinians...
...Example: "To insist that Palestinian representatives to negotiations not be identified with the PLO is merely an act of self-deception____Any negotiations with the Palestinians will be negotiations with the PLO, and it would be better if they were direct and open...
...That is one of several remarkable aspects of Israel's Fateful Hour, for in this book Harkabi argues forcefully that Israel must reverse course and actively seek an accommodation with its Arab neighbors—and particularly with the Palestinians...
Vol. 53 • February 1989 • No. 2
