Tested by Zion: The Bush Administration and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

by Elliott Abrams

This book tells the full inside story of the Bush Administration and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Written by a top National Security Council officer who worked at the White House with Bush, Cheney, and Rice and attended dozens of meetings with figures like Sharon, Mubarak, the kings of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and Palestinian leaders, it brings the reader inside the White House and the palaces of Middle Eastern officials. How did 9/11 change American policy toward Arafat and Sharon's tough efforts against the Second Intifada? What influence did the Saudis have on President Bush? Did the American approach change when Arafat died? How did Sharon decide to get out of Gaza, and why did the peace negotiations fail? In the first book by an administration official to focus on Bush and the Middle East, Elliott Abrams brings the story of Bush, the Israelis, and the Palestinians to life.

Genres: Israel, History, Middle East, Presidents, Politics

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Frank Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abrams poured a lot of effort into this book -- interviews, in-depth analysis and intense research. He seeks to provide the definitive account of the Bush Administration's attempts to move the needle - at least a little bit - in finding a peaceful solution between Israel and the Palestinians. It is like reading the account of a very smart man who is navigating his way through a deadly hall of mirrors. Abrams gives a clear and concise account and for anyone interested in understanding what happened - and did not happen - you have to read his book.

[BigHeadWalt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed look into the nearly successful talks between Israel and PA facilitated by the Bush administration.
Very good. Surprisingly so, actually.

[Thomas Lawrence · Rating 2 out of 5]

His pro-Israel slant diminishes its value as a serious study of the Bush years and the Israel-Palestine conflict and made me decide to look elsewhere. It was interesting to hear that previous U.S. presidents did not endorse an actual Palestinian state though

[John Minster · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little slow at times, but an overall fascinating look into the conflict and into policy-making at the highest level.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abrams' story becomes more interesting in the later years of the GWB presidency. The first term is mainly a chronological list of events in American Israel/Palestine policy. There was a bombing on Tuesday, on Wednesday there was a meeting, on Thursday there was a bombing, on Friday there was a speech, etc. (However, this portion of the book does paint an interesting and compelling portrait of Ariel Sharon.) By the second term, things heat up. While one would expect the author's memory to be more fresh with respect to more recent events, the more important factor in reviving the reader's interest is the account of steadily increasing tension between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Israelis, and the author's disapproval of the Rice evolution. It is also fascinating to see if and when there was daylight between the President and his Secretary of State, real or perceived. While the author does not mention it, his account reminds me of an event early in the GWB administration. I seem to recall that in the midst of the Intifada, Bush's press secretary Ari Fleischer said something to the effect that President Clinton had tried to "shoot the moon" at Camp David to get a peace accord, suggesting that the violence could be traced to Clinton’s overreach (widely seen as a last grab at a Nobel Peace Prize). Fleischer was really hammered for that comment and I think he had to back off of it (it’s been a long time). Anyway, Tested by Zion strongly suggests that Rice’s desire to reach a deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians before Bush left office became so powerful that her words and deeds drifted towards the more conventional approach favored by transnational elites: let’s have a big conference, let’s push the two sides into a deal, and more ominously, let’s engage in moral equivalence. In the meantime, steps that could have really helped make a difference on the ground, namely efforts to help the Palestinians turn the West Bank into a functioning state, were neglected for more high profile adventures in shuttle diplomacy. Thus, the Bush Administration tried to “shoot the moon” as the clock on the second term ran out. Or so saith the author. In Tested by Zion, he makes a persuasive case for his point of view.

P.S. I always find myself wondering if former colleagues read each other’s tell-alls or if they just have their friends tell them the juicy parts. And what’s it like when they see each other at the reunions, as they surely did at the recent opening of the GWB presidential library?

[Karyn]

Great review:
https://www.nationalreview.com/nrd/ar...

[Paula]

There is nothing worst than starting a book and liking it. Then having a family member swipe it... oh well, to begin again.