In January 1986, two working journalists were flying aboard the official jet of Israel's Prime Minister Shimon Peres, as he toured Europe and reactivated his secret diplomacy with Jordan's King Hussein. Within two years Palestinians living under Israeli occupation rose in revolt. The two journalists, Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, decided the time was ripe for this the first complete account of the clandestine relationship between Israel and Jordan. Melman and Raviv examine the hostile partnership by focusing on an unacknowledged but powerful partnership among three key parties in the Middle East dispute: the Israelis, the Jordanians, and the Palestinians. Based on interviews with participants in the secret diplomacy and on documents previously hidden from the public, this work describes Hussein's meeting with Israel's leaders and reveals how Israel and Jordan forged a relationship covering everything from "counter-terrorism to counter-mosquito tactics." "The authors are the first to deal thoroughly with the history of behind-the-scenes diplomacy bewteen Israel and Jordan, compiling and expanding upon persistent reports of secret contacts." Associated Press
