Jason Greenblatt's insider account of Trump's quest for Mideast peace

"Peace is a precious thing," Greenblatt writes, "and we were well on the path to achieving it in meaningful portions of the Middle East — both for Israel and a growing number of its Arab neighbors":

As history shows all too clearly, peace is often an uneasy equilibrium between wars, not an active force in its own right. ...Peace is hard, but the consequences of its alternative are harder still.

Moreover, peace doesn't come by blurring the essential differences between people or groups. Rather, it comes from bringing those differences into sharper relief, sharper focus.

Greenblatt writes that the Trump administration's approach to the Middle East "challenged the myth that America has to be an 'honest broker' — that is, indifferent to the fate of its chief ally, Israel — in negotiations with its Arab neighbors."

• Jared Kushner calls the book "a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the Trump Administration’s efforts to chart a new course for the Middle East."

Go deeper on the book ... Go deeper on Jason Greenblatt.