“There has been enough destruction, enough death, enough waste. And it’s time that together we occupy a place beyond ourselves, our peoples, that is worthy of ... the descendants of the children of Abraham.” —King Hussein of Jordan

The twentieth century has been a turbulent time for the Middle East. Ethnic conflicts, political and economic instability, territorial rivalries, religious disputes, and war have marred the region that has often been referred to as the cradle of civilization. An examination of one of the area’s most challenging issues, the Arab-Israeli conflict, reveals the fragility of peacemaking efforts in the region.

Most of the Arab world objected to the establishment of Israel as a state within the Palestinian region in 1948. From that point on, territorial disputes between Israel and its Arab neighbors resulted in several wars during the last half of the twentieth century...