Daavid Kimche has served in the Israeli Prime Minister's Office for many years and in 1980 was appointed Director-General of the Foreign Ministry. He has therefore been involved behind the scenes in all the major political events that Israel has engaged in for the past two decades. In this book, he not only gives an informed and often controversial appraisal of events, but also provides first-hand insights into situations in which he personally played a central role: for example, from his early meetings with Bashir Gemayel in Lebanon in 1976 to the Israeli invasion, and Israel's role in Irangate. Instead of covering old ground by describing events that many others have already written about, he instead puts forward a number of new theories which should provoke a reassessment of the political history of the area. With fascinating chapters on Israel's relations with Egypt, the United States and Lebanon, on the Iran-Iraq conflict, the Gulf War, and the current situation with the Palestinians and the intifada, Kimche not only gives a comprehensive and clear account of complicated events, but also provides his own explanations and criticisms of people and policies, which make the book an important contribution to the history of the Middle East as well as to what is happening in the region today.