Arafat: in the Eyes of the Beholder - Hardcover

The author interviewed members of Arafat's family, childhood friends and leaders who have dealt with him as ally and adversary. (Among the latter: Jordan's King Hussein, Yitzhak Shamir and Shimon Peres of Israel, Secretary of State James Baker.) They also talked at length with Arafat himself at his Tunis headquarters. The resulting important biography of the Palestinian leader includes a more complete description of the PLO government structure (a state-in-waiting now recognized by 130 countries) than can be found elsewhere. The Wallachs ( Still Small Voices ) offer new information about Arafat's childhood, his student years and his career as an engineer, as well as details of the pivotal 1968 PLO victory over the Israelis at the battle of Karameh. The book reveals how Arafat has remained head of the Palestinian liberation movement for 20 years despite intense rivalries and feuds with King Hussein and Syria's President Assad. The authors also analyze Arafat's recent surprise shift to a more moderate position. Though Israel considers him as implacable a foe as ever, the Wallachs are convinced that he "wants a peaceful solution, a reconciliation of territory for peace." Photos.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Not since Alan Hart's Arafat: Terrorist or Peacemaker ( LJ 11/15/85) has there been a more comprehensive biography of the man who is close to the heart of any permanent resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Wallachs, authors of the acclaimed Middle East study Still Small Voices ( LJ 3/15/89), have interviewed critical players such as King Hussein of Jordan, United States Secretary of State James Baker, Syria's President Hafez al-Assad, and Israeli Prime Ministers Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Shamir. The Wallachs reveal Arafat to be a man who leads by spartan example and holds Palestinian sovereignty inviolate. The last chapter, dealing with links between the CIA and the PLO, was withheld from public review until final publication; notwithstanding that, this is highly recommended for all size and types of libraries and collections.
- David P. Snider, Casa Grande P.L., Ariz.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.