Domestic Politics and the Prospects for an Arab-Israeli Peace

The years 1987 and 1988 marked several anniversaries: the fortieth anniversary of the UN resolution to partition Palestine, the creation of the state of Israel, and the twentieth anniversary of the June 1967 war. They are also the years in which the Palestinian intifadah has precipitated an unprecedented clash between Zionism and Palestinian nationalism and may mark a crucial milestone in the Palestinian struggle for independence. Six months of Palestinian resistance has underscored the fact that the Palestinians will settle for nothing less than statehood side-by-side with Israel in the area of historical Palestine.

Valerie Yorke is a writer on Middle East affairs. This article is adapted from her forthcoming book, Domestic Politics and Regional Security: Jordan, Syria, and Israel (Gower/Intemational Institute for Strategic Studies).