Peace Is Possible

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Peace is Possible
Peace is possible.jpg
Hardcover Edition book cover
Author S. Daniel Abraham
Bill Clinton, foreword
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject Arab–Israeli conflict
Genre non-fiction
Publisher Newmarket Press
Publication date
March 13, 2006
Media typeHardcover
Pages240
ISBN 1-55704-702-2
OCLC 62127834
956.05/3 22
LC Class DS119.76 .A3482 2006

Peace Is Possible: Conversations with Arab and Israeli Leaders from 1988 to the Present is a book by S. Daniel Abraham, with a foreword by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. The book was released in hardcover format on March 13, 2006 by Newmarket Press.

Sim Daniel Abraham is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is the founder of Thompson Medical, whose main product is Slim-Fast, a diet program. He has endowed the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace and he supports Jewish causes in Florida and Israel.

Bill Clinton 42nd president of the United States

William Jefferson Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Prior to the presidency, he was the governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981, and again from 1983 to 1992, and the attorney general of Arkansas from 1977 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, Clinton was ideologically a New Democrat, and many of his policies reflected a centrist "Third Way" political philosophy.

Newmarket Publishing and Communications Company, and its publishing arm Newmarket Press, was founded in 1981 by President and Publisher Esther Margolis. Newmarket published about 20-30 mainly non-fiction books a year, primarily in the areas of childcare & parenting, film & performing arts, psychology, health & nutrition, biography, history, business & personal finance, and popular self-help & reference. It was acquired by HarperCollins' It Books in 2011.

Contents

The book is a first-hand account of Slim Fast founder Abraham's more than 15 years of peacemaking efforts in the Middle East, as well as the various reasons he believes peace is possible. [1]

Hillary Clinton spoke about Abraham's book at Princeton University, while recognizing the creation of the "S. Daniel Abraham Visiting Professorship in Middle East Policy Studies" and its first holder, Daniel C. Kurtzer. [2]

Hillary Clinton American politician, senator, Secretary of State, First Lady

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is an American politician, diplomat, lawyer, writer, and public speaker. She served as the First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, U.S. Senator from New York from 2001 to 2009, 67th United States Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013, and as the Democratic Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election, the first woman nominated by a major party.

Princeton University University in Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. The institution moved to Newark in 1747, then to the current site nine years later, and renamed itself Princeton University in 1896.

Daniel C. Kurtzer American diplomat

Daniel Charles Kurtzer is an American former diplomat. He served as U.S. ambassador to Egypt during the term of President Bill Clinton, and was the U.S. ambassador to Israel from 2001 to 2005 during the term of President George W Bush.

The book is utilized as a resource by Case Western Reserve University, [3] and the United States Air Force utilizes other books by Abraham as part of Middle-East peace workshops. [4]

Case Western Reserve University Private research university in Cleveland, Ohio

Case Western Reserve University is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was created in 1967 through the federation of two longstanding contiguous institutions: Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reserve, and Case Institute of Technology, founded in 1880 through the endowment of Leonard Case, Jr.. Time magazine described the merger as the creation of "Cleveland's Big-Leaguer" university.

United States Air Force Air and space warfare branch of the United States Armed Forces

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial and space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces, and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially formed as a part of the United States Army on 1 August 1907, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on 18 September 1947 with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the fourth in order of precedence. The USAF is the largest and most technologically advanced air force in the world. The Air Force articulates its core missions as air and space superiority, global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.

With former congressman Wayne Owens, Abraham established the Center for Middle East Peace & Economic Cooperation. [5] Abraham's work on peace is also featured as part of the Clinton Global Initiative. [6]

Wayne Owens American politician

Douglas Wayne Owens was a member of the United States House of Representatives for Utah's 2nd congressional district from 1973 to 1975 and again from 1987 to 1993.

Statements by individuals involved in peace process

Source [1]

President Bill Clinton

"When peace finally comes to the Middle East, it will be because of people like Dan Abraham"

Shimon Peres

"Dan Abraham's book is in a category apart. I do not know of any other "private diplomacy" that has done so much to foster the peace process. Dan Abraham and Wayne Owens have spanned the length and breadth of the Middle East with keen interest and a sense of mission. They generated a deep feeling of trust among the people they met and never abandoned hope even in the most difficult of times. As dramatic as their story may be, it nonetheless strikes us by its distinctive sincerity. Their account of it is related fairly and honestly. This is indeed a book that merits attention, also because of the surprises it enfolds." Shimon Peres

Elie Wiesel

"Whether utopian or realistic, Dan Abraham's obsession to bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians is remarkable. His behind-the-scenes encounters with various protagonists of this endless historical drama will help the reader understand its complexity as well as its need for a peaceful resolution."

Saeb Erekat

"I may agree or disagree with my friend Danny Abraham's assessments, but there is no disagreement on Danny's commitment to the two state-solution -- Palestine next to Israel, living peacefully side by side. I admire Danny's courage, unwavering commitment and relentless efforts, which are evident in this book, to achieve peace and reconciliation, a historic treaty and an end of conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. Danny was a creative pioneer in his thinking and in his hard work to advance the peace process, demonstrating how imaginative and helpful track-two diplomacy could be.

Ehud Olmert

"Danny Abraham is one of those unique people who, without any formal appointment, have dedicated their lives to search for peace in our region. He has played an imperative role over the years and has a fascinating story to tell."

Notable individuals interviewed by author

Arab leaders
Hosni Mubarak 20th and 21st-century Egyptian president and politician

Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak is a former Egyptian military and political leader who served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011.

Yasser Arafat 20th-century former Palestinian President, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient

Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini, popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004 and President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) from 1994 to 2004. Ideologically an Arab nationalist, he was a founding member of the Fatah political party, which he led from 1959 until 2004.

Israeli prime ministers

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References

  1. 1 2 Newmarket Press, publisher website on book, Newmarket Press, retrieved 1/20/07.
  2. Clinton calls for 'new vision' in Middle East, Princeton University, Jennifer Greenstein Altmann, January 19, 2006, Hillary Clinton speech
    Clinton spoke of a book that Abraham had just completed about the Middle East, titled "Peace Is Possible," that takes an optimistic viewpoint about the future of the region. "Optimism, some believe, is a peculiarly American virtue," she said. She joked about the complaint that Americans know little about their country's history: "Yes, of course we're doomed to re-create it, but it also gives grounds for optimism if you have no idea what happened before."
  3. Case Western Reserve University, Shofar Journal, Samuel Rosenthal Center for Jewish Studies, Summer 2006,
  4. Middle East Peace Process for the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Compiled by Glenda Armstrong, November 2005, Air University Library, Maxwell Air Force Base
  5. Big Medicine, Tools: Middle East, retrieved 1/20/07.
    Center for Middle East Peace & Economic Cooperation--The Center for Middle East Peace & Economic Cooperation encourages all relevant parties – Israel, the Palestinians, Arab countries, the United States, Europe, etc. – to reach just and comprehensive peace that will bring an end to the Israeli-Arab conflict. With this mission in mind, the Center's activities include travel in the region, diplomatic exchanges, and conferences featuring Middle Eastern and relevant international leaders seeking peace. The Center brings Middle Eastern policy makers, American and European officials, and international business leaders together to help provide an atmosphere that encourages a peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Established in 1989 by then-Slim Fast Foods Chairman S. Daniel Abraham and then-Utah Congressman Wayne Owens, the Center is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization. http://www.centerpeace.org/
  6. Religion, Clinton Global Initiative, S. Daniel Abraham, William J. Clinton Foundation, retrieved 1/20/07.