Even before the conclusion of the Abraham Accords, the United States mediated between the Israelis and the Palestinians with the aim of establishing peace between the parties. Several American presidents have tried to conclude a permanent agreement, but circumstances have always been against them. Martin Indyk – former US ambassador to Israel and special envoy for the 2013 Israeli-Palestinian negotiations – has personally experienced these political obstacles.

To recognize the nature of American diplomatic influence in the Middle East, he now returns to the origins of American-led peace efforts and to the man who got the Middle East peace process rolling - Henry Kissinger. Drawing on newly available documents from American and Israeli archives, extensive interviews with Kissinger, and Indyk’s interactions with several key figures, the author introduces readers to the secrets of the negotiations and gives us an inside look at what happened. Personalities such as Anwar Sadat, Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, Yitzhak Rabin, Hafez al-Assad and Henry Kissinger himself make appearances in Indyk’s work.

As a historian, Indyk examines the events of the past, which is complemented by the fact that he personally experienced some extremely important events, making his authenticity undeniable. Thanks to him, we can gain an insight into the process of peacemaking in the Middle East and learn some very important lessons.

Meszár Tárik is a senior researcher at the Eurasia Center