The Intifada and After

A recurrent theme in three of the books under review is that the Palestinian intifada has made a peace settlement a goal of utmost urgency. The cycle of rebellion and repression is driving Israelis further to the right and Palestinians toward Islamic extremism. Every day that passes corrodes Israel’s economy, moral character, and relations with its own Arab citizens. “Unless sincere negotiations get under way,” Ze’ev Schiff and Ehud Ya’ari predict, “both sides will suffer considerably for the foreseeable future and the ultimate outcome of the intifada will be much to Israel’s detriment.”

All these books were completed before the intifada began to taper off and fade from the news. The...