"The Leon Charney Report," the nationally syndicated cable interview show, has long been one of the favorite stops in America for statesmen, journalists and others who play a vital part in the Mid East. THE CHARNEY REPORT: Confronting the Israeli-Arab reveals why.

Spanning eleven years and 26 interviews, Charney's newest book includes interviews with Yitzak Rabin, Teddy Kollek, Ehud Barak, Yitzak Shamir, Raghida Dergham, Nasser Al Kidwa, Shimon Peres and others whose voices have been at the center of this tragic struggle. Why these top names have chosen to include his show, not only on their American visits but also on location, has as much to do with how Charney is perceived by his guests as it does with the freedom they feel he extends to them on air. Candid and insightful, he gives his guests full rein to explore and explain situations, personalities, and negotiations that often seem inexplicable to the U.S. public. In addition, Charney's own commitment to the region has earned him a special regard and trust in the Mid East. He has spent over twenty years actively working towards peace, the result of his behind-the-scenes role during the Camp David Peace Agreement.

The resulting interviews form a rare chronicle of the Mid Eastern conflict, breaking new ground in the redressing of historical details. In an interview with Avigdor Kahalani, brigadier general in the Israeli army and founder of the Third Way Party, Kahalani raises serious questions about Rabin's refusal to show him the withdrawal maps that were a part of the agreement with the PLO that was brought before the Knesset. Kahalani refused to vote for the agreement. He said it was like signing a blank check on the security of Israel. Later it was revealed that when Kahalani asked Rabin about the change in his lexicon from Greater Jerusalem to Jerusalem Plus, Rabin never answered. This preceded Barak's alleged discussion at Camp David, for which he was widely criticized.

In an era of sound bites, Charney's hallmark style is the long, thoughtful discussion that gives new depth to familiar issues. Here leaders, both past and present, provide the unexpected viewpoint; politicians candidly discuss the complex and often painful divisions within Israel; military experts reveal the vulnerability Israelis feel they must always live with and the sense of isolation they have learned to accept from the rest of the world. Readers are given an unparalleled perspective on the generations of leadership, the bonds that bound and the decisions that divided former political allies. Diplomats and statesmen reflect on the policies and politics of rivals, try to give meaning to the history unfolding, and offer predictions that now read, in the light of current events, as too sadly prophetic.

THE CHARNEY REPORT provides a fresh perspective on the ongoing peace process and gives hope that peace may yet come to this conflicted region. With the rise of fundamentalism and the continued struggle over Jerusalem, the region now faces as many challenges as it has before-and yet, talks continue. As Charney notes in his Afterword, ' The Middle East is the genesis of all religions and the cradle of civilization. It also has been a consistent source of conflict...One must never forget that the Holy Land is a place of miracles. And it has been said that to live in the Middle East is to believe in miracles over reality."