Foreign Policy Blogs

Understanding the Peace Between Israel and Egypt: Exclusive Interview With Producer Matthew Tollin

I recently had the opportunity to catch up with producer Matthew Tollin about his new documentary, Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace.

Back Door Channels is the true story of the men who brought an unlikely lasting Peace to the Middle East.

For the first time ever, the filmmakers take the audience behind the public veil and into the smoke-filled backroom corridors of power during one of the world’s greatest historical moments – the 1979 Camp David Peace Accord and Treaty between Egypt and Israel. For one brief moment in time, Arabs and Jews put their differences aside and embraced peace. Menachem Begin, Anwar El-Sadat, and Jimmy Carter crafted the peace, but it was the men behind-the-scenes who found a way to get them together and drive the peace process. This documentary reveals the  secret missions, internal power struggles and diplomatic brinkmanship by a cast of characters never before revealed.

Shot on location in Israel, Egypt, Morocco, Austria, France, and the U.S., the documentary is a must see for anyone who claims to know anything about Middle Eastern history.

Below is the video of my interview with Matthew where we discuss the film, how people get involved in backdoor channels, and how Morocco was a key player in helping Egypt and Israel come together.

 

 

 

 

Author

Rob Lattin

Rob Lattin recently completed his Master's in International Affairs at the City College of New York, where he won the Frank Owarish prize for graduating at the top of his class. His thesis explored Democratic Peace Theory and its applicability to small powers, and used the relationship between Turkey and Israel as its case study. Rob received his B.A. in Near Eastern Studies and Political Science, graduating from the University of Arizona with honors.

Rob has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and has lived in Haifa, Israel. In addition to blogging for FPB, he is the Foreign Affairs Correspondent for Jspace.com. He currently splits his time between Washington D.C. and New York City.