Baksheesh Diplomacy: Secret Negotiations between American Jewish Leaders and Arab Officials on the Eve of World War II

by Rafael Medoff

Overview

Could the Arab-Israeli conflict have been avoided? Was it possible to achieve peace between Jews and Arabs in Palestine in the 1930s? Rafael Medoff's intriguing study reveals, for the first time, the story of the Fifth Avenue multimillionaires who believed they could bring peace to the Middle East through secret diplomacy and a generous dose of baksheesh (bribery). In documents unearthed from archives on three continents, Medoff has discovered an extraordinary and previously unknown chapter in the history of Middle East diplomacy. Here he brings the story to life. A work of history that reads like a thriller, this book takes the reader from the elite Jewish social clubs of interwar Manhattan to the bustling bazaars of Baghdad, as it sheds fresh light on the Arab-Jewish conflict, the relationship between American Jewry and the Holy Land, and the divisions within the Jewish community over the Palestinian Arab issue.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739102046
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	01/22/2001
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	5.76(w) x 8.94(h) x 0.47(d)

About the Author

Rafael Medoff is Visiting Scholar in Jewish Studies at Purchase College, the State University of New York. His previous books include the Historical Dictionary of Zionism (with Chaim I. Waxman, 2000), Zionism and the Arabs: An American Jewish Dilemma (1997), and The Deafening Silence: American Jewish Leaders and the Holocaust, 1933-1945 (1987).

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 A Park Avenue View of Palestine Chapter 2 Problems in Palestine, Solutions in New York Chapter 3 Enter Edward Norman Chapter 4 Americans Negotiate a Palestine Solution Chapter 5 The Negotiations Begin Chapter 6 Partners in Secret Diplomacy Chapter 7 From Washington to London Chapter 8 Jewish Money, Iraqi Promises Chapter 9 Epilogue

What People are Saying About This

Marc Raphael

Rafael Medoff's books and essays are always meticulously researched, and in this work he performs a much needed task.
—(Marc Raphael editor-in-chief, American Jewish History)

Jeffrey S. Gurock

Jeffrey S. Gurock Yeshiva University
Raphael Medoff's meticulous scholarship has, once again, brought to light previously unknown episodes in Zionist and Middle Eastern history. This convincing, well-documented historical work that reads like a mystery novel will be welcomed by scholars and general readers alike.

Mordechai Nisan

Rafael Medoff is earning recognition as a major scholar of American Jewish and Zionist history. His willingness to deal responsibly and factually with somewhat controversial subjects testifies to his intellectual independence, no less than to his scholarly reliability.
— Mordechai Nisan

Editorial Reviews

An extraordinary thriller that helps put present day problems in perspective.

Lifestyle Magazine

Rafael Medoff has discovered an extraordinary and previously unknown chapter in Middle East diplomacy. His book is an exceptionally lucid and fascinating account.

gem - Mordechai Nisan

Rafael Medoff, one of Zionism's most meticulous and imaginative historians, has written a dazzling narrative, at once scholarly and dramatic.

Judaism

History buffs will enjoy this book but it should also appeal to all who are interested in the Middle East.

Jewish Press

Rafael Medoff's meticulous scholarship has, once again, brought to light previously unknown episodes in Zionist and American Jewish history. This convincing, well-documented historical work—that reads like a mystery novel—will be welcomed by scholars and general readers alike.

Jeffrey S. Gurock

Medoff has unveiled an important new dimension to both American Jewish history and Middle East diplomatic history, one which will fascinate readers and change our current understanding of the characters involved in the history he describes.

American Jewish History

Rafael Medoff's books and essays are always meticulously researched, and in this work he performs a much needed task.

Marc Raphael

Rafael Medoff has discovered an extraordinary and previously unknown chapter in Middle East diplomacy. His book is an exceptionally lucid and fascinating account.
— Mordechai Nisan

The Jerusalem Post