On July 31 1988 King Hussein of Jordan renounced all administrative and legal ties with the Israeli-occupied West Bank of the River Jordan initiating a new turning point in the Middle East peace process. In this path-breaking study Madiha Madfai explores Jordan s role in the USA s peacemaking efforts during the Carter Reagan and Bush administrations. She examines the events culminating in the action of 1988 and convincingly demonstrates the history of anger anguish and frustration that lay behind the Jordanian decision.