Abstract
The history of the Middle East, and especially in Arab—Israeli affairs, has never been a straight line, nor does it move at constant speed: it is a tight, winding road with sharp, quick turns about once every five years. In May 1996, history once again threw a curve ball, installing one Benjamin Netanyahu into the driver’s seat for its current segment. This happened just as the peace process seemed to be constructing the foundational elements of predictability long absent from the Middle Eastern political scene. Looking at this politician in his individual dimension, and forgetting about the immediate context that brought him to power, the pitch could be detected almost as it departed the plate. During the earlier part of 1988, buried beneath several layers of Israel’s government structure, the image of Israel’s future leader appeared clearly, standing out in stark contrast to the rather ordinary surroundings of the Israeli political landscape. Here was a mid-level politician (an ambassador to the United Nations) with a set of ideas and strategies all his own, combined with an extraordinary sense of human agency, a strong element of dynamic energy, and a telegenic appearance befitting a Ronald Reagan.
Laura Drake’s prediction of Netanyahu’s eventual rise to power dates back to the early spring of 1988; she has closely followed his political writings and statements since that time. An earlier summary of her observations and analysis of Netanyahu immediately after the 1996 elections was published in “Netanyahu: A Primer”, Journal of Palestine Studies 26(1) (Autumn 1996), pp. 58–69, and presented at a lecture entitled “Netanyahu’s Peace”, held at the Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine, Washington DC, 18 July 1996.
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Notes
Quoted in Liat Collins, “From A to Bibi: A Guide to Netanyahu”, Jerusalem Post, 7 June 1996, p. 9.
Benjamin Netanyahu, A Place Among the Nations: Israel and the World ( New York: Bantam Books, 1993 ), p. 148.
Glenn Frankel, “Netanyahu Sketches Upbeat View of Israel”, Washington Post, 5 July 1996, p. A17.
See, for example, Benjamin Netanyahu, “Peace in our Time?” New York Times, 5 September 1993, section iv, p. 11;
Benjamin Netanyahu, “The Alternative is Autonomy”, Jerusalem Post, 8 April 1994, p. A4;
Hillel Kuttler, “Clinton to Seek Specifics from Netanyahu”, Jerusalem Post, Internet edition, 9 July 1996.
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© 2000 Laura Drake
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Drake, L. (2000). Implementing Netanyahu’s Political and Economic Programme: What are Israel’s Strategic Objectives for the Current Historical Phase?. In: Wright, J.W., Drake, L. (eds) Economic and Political Impediments to Middle East Peace. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780333994269_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780333994269_2
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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