Book contents
- The Strained Alliance
- The Strained Alliance
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 First Encounters, 1989–1990
- 2 ‘Lay Aside, Once and for All, the Unrealistic Vision of a Greater Israel’
- 3 On the Brink of a New World, August 1990–1991
- 4 1991
- 5 The Bumpy Road to Madrid, 1991
- 6 1992
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
5 - The Bumpy Road to Madrid, 1991
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 October 2025
Book contents
- The Strained Alliance
- The Strained Alliance
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 First Encounters, 1989–1990
- 2 ‘Lay Aside, Once and for All, the Unrealistic Vision of a Greater Israel’
- 3 On the Brink of a New World, August 1990–1991
- 4 1991
- 5 The Bumpy Road to Madrid, 1991
- 6 1992
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The 1991 Madrid Conference marked a turning point in US-Israel relations and the broader Middle East peace process. After the Gulf War, the Bush administration, led by Secretary of State James Baker, pushed for direct talks between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Co-sponsored by the US and the Soviet Union, the conference aimed to establish a peace framework based on UN Resolutions 242 and 338, emphasizing land for peace. Tensions emerged between the US and Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, especially over Israeli settlement policy and the makeup of the Palestinian delegation. The Bush administration linked US loan guarantees for absorbing Soviet Jewish immigrants to a freeze on settlement expansion, increasing pressure on Israel. The conference also exposed divisions within the American Jewish community over US policy and its implications for Israel’s future. This chapter explores the diplomatic maneuvering before Madrid, the negotiations over participation, and the conference’s impact on US-Israel relations. It places Madrid within the broader realignment of US Middle East policy under Bush and assesses its long-term legacy.
Information
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- Chapter
- Information
- The Strained AllianceGeorge H. W. Bush, Yitzhak Shamir, and the US–Israel Special Relationship, pp. 173 - 233Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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