Bennis (Institute for Policy Studies) utilizes a question and answer format in order to provide a well-informed and, considering its brevity, surprisingly detailed primer on Israeli-Palestinian history and politics for an American audience seeking to understand US policy in the region. Bennis assumes almost no prior knowledge of the region and even answers such introductory questions as "Why are the Palestinians in Israel at all?" She also provides significant detail on UN resolutions concerning the conflict, the role of other states and the United Nations" in the conflict, the diplomatic intricacies of the so-called peace process, Israeli violations of international law, and the impact of important events such as the occupation of Iraq and the Israeli war in Southern Lebanon. All but the most expert will likely learn something and the neophyte will greatly benefit in understanding by reading this book. One small failing is the lack of any discussion, either positive or negative, of increasing calls for a binational one-state democratic solution, as opposed to the two-state solution, which remains the sole focus of Bennis"s discussion of a just future. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)