Palestine Reborn

Because the author is one of the leaders of the Palestinian-Jordanian delegation to the Middle East peace talks, this collection of essays and papers is of more than usual interest. But it is also compelling because of Khalidi's eloquence and persuasiveness as a proponent of the Palestinian cause. A highly skilled polemicist, Khalidi is by turns methodical, sardonic and coruscatingly critical in his assessment of the history of what he calls ``the Palestine problem.'' He favors a Palestinian state in the Occupied Territories, ``voluntarily demilitarized in its own self-interest and contractually so.'' He argues the case in the elegant and measured prose of a professional diplomat, deftly outlining the history of the Zionist state and its Arab opposition, and new concepts of security in the Middle East in the wake of the Gulf war, often throwing off witty one-liners like his observation that ``Sadats do not grow on trees, not even in the lush valley of the Nile.'' However, it is unfortunate that, events in the region having moved so quickly, this book must be published without Khalidi's response to Labor's return to power in Israel and the most recent round of peace negotiations. (Jan.)