5 comments about The Israel-Arab Reader: A Documentary History of the Middle East Conflict: Seventh Revised and Updated E.

1. The book is simply a collection of documents on the Arab-Israeli conflict, dating back to the British Mandate in Palestine. The editors included all the important papers such as the Balflour Declaration, the "White Paper," various UN declarations, and speeches made by both Arab and Israeli leaders. The latest documents it contains are those covering the Camp David meetings between President Clinton, barak, and Arafat near the end of Clinton's presidency. While it is not a history of the conflict (merely a collection of historical documents), it certainly can provide you with plenty of info on the subject.



2. I write in relation to the sixth revised and updated version of this work. My purchase was based upon the recommendations of others here and I was certainly not disappointed with my acquisition of this book.

   It really is a priceless reference and guide to the way in which the Middle East has taken shape and how the whole Arab-Israeli issue has developed since it's inception. Indeed, references are quoted with effect from 1882 through until the present day.

   We are treated to a seemingly endless accurate list of letters, speeches, reports and articles from a considerable cross section of sources, both in the international arena and in the region itself. This latest version even contains sections on the Camp David negotiations and their subsequent failure in 2000/2001.

   One is able to see from the direct quotes of the parties concerned, exactly what was said, and moreover in it's true context, making this an indisputably essential asset to understanding the conflicts and `peace-making' in the region. This level of understanding is made accessible not only to the Camp David talks but also to virtually every other episode of significance relative to this ongoing issue throughout the many decades.

   A highly recommended read.




3. If one is a previously biased reader, this book will doubtlessly contain some documents that are upsetting to read on grounds of including inciteful material. However, the only real criticism that I have is that the 3rd edition has several documents that are of interest to those seeking to research the early Mandatory period, such as documents by Ze'ev Jabotinsky, the Revisionist Zionist and ideological founder of the Irgun Zvai Leumi. It is understanable though, that as future editions come out the length could get phrohibitively long without pruning some data. As a basic and intermediate level documentary text it is one of the best I have come across.



4. What else can be said about a book that contains every UN and League of Nations document about the Israel-Palestine conflict? It is a necessity as a reference for those engaged and a great book to learn about the conflict and its basic political evolution.



5. I will not spend a lot of time writing about how valuable a reference this is - the other reviewers on this site have already more than done it justice. Aside from the relative lack of material on early Zionism (also pointed out by one of the other reviewers), this book has most if not all of the relevant documents. I have only one major criticism (the reason I gave the book four stars instead of 5): the almost complete lack of information about the original sources. Apart from a one-liner preceding each document, no information is given regarding 1) the citation of the original work, including page numbers, where appropriate; 2) the language in which the original work was written; 3) if the work was not written in English, credit for the translation, the date thereof, etc. While these may not be of interest to the casual reader, to anyone doing research in the field, if only for a college paper, these details are critical. Furthermore, in an area as controversial as the Arab-Israeli conflict, the ability to trace documents back to the original and verify translations is everything.

5 comments about They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby.

1. Reading this was an eye-opening experience. If you are interested in the Middle East, I would highly recommend this.



2. Extremely well written and informative book about the powerful Israel lobby that operates under the radar--often times against the interests of the US.



3. If readers want to read a book that evinces a pathological obsession with Israel and its American supporters and blames them for every problem under the sun, then by all means buy this book. But if you don't, avoid this book like the plague. Paul Findley is a former Congressman who now serves as a pro-Arab propagandist and Palestinian apologist. When I read reviews that refer to him as objective, I have to laugh. Findley is as one-sided and biased in his views as they come.
   
   The absurdity of Findley's thesis is easy to prove. People and institutions are constantly "speaking out" to attack Israel and the pro-Israel lobby in the most vicious terms. What punishment do they face for doing this from the Israel lobby? None whatsoever. No one is suppressing their free speech. Jimmy Carter and Professors Walt and Mearsheimer, among others, are free to present their biased and distorted views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the influence of the Israeli lobby without retaliation. Some criticism, yes, but no suppression of free speech.
   
   One might ask why Findley was defeated in his Congressional reelection bid some years ago by a candidate supported by AIPAC? I would submit that it was Findley's greater concern for Yasir Arafat's interests than those of his own constituents that was responsible for his defeat, not any conspiracy on the part of Israel's supporters.
   
   I note that many of the reviewers have repeated the standard and tired line that one can't criticize Israel without being labeled anti-Semitic. One can criticize Israel and the Israeli lobby without being anti-Semitic. Unfortunately, many of the reviews posted here show that some of the people who criticize Israel and the Israeli lobby resort to anti-Semitic stereotypes and cross the line into open anti-Semitism and bigotry, a la the Protocols of the Elders of Zion forgery. If you believe that there's a sinister Jewish conspiracy to control the U.S. government and media for nefarious purposes, you hold anti-Semitic views. For those of you who don't hold those views, stay away from this awful book.



4. This book is a perfect counter-point to The Power of Israel in the United States. I review that book also, and recommend both books to every American, just as I also recommend the books that document how the Saudis have bought the Bush Family and the Republican and Democratic parties, neither of which represents We the People. Completely apart from the venal immorality of Dick Cheney (see my review of Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency in which I itemized the 23 high crimes and misdemeanors documented by that book), the fact is that Congress has been bought by multiple parties, and no longer represents We the People.
   
   This book is a harder, longer read, so I recommend you start with the other book. As with the other book, this book is a strongly documented and very lengthy catalog of the sins of the Zionists and the Israeli Government, not at all against the moderate Jews and their legitimate concerns. I have seen Gaza and Beirut, and what Israel has done to the Palestinians, to the former "Paris" of the Middle East, combined with their Assault on the Liberty, is unforgivable.
   
   This book logically catalogs how the Zionists intimidate even such a person as Ted Turner, who was forced to back down when he said both sides were committing terrorism (there is in fact a UN Resolution that finds Israel guilty of genocide and racism, but then that is one of those "fog facts" that our totalitarian monsters choose to ignore.
   
   The author organizes the book around how Zionists silence the small and the weak, while buying out the Oval Office, the Congress, the media, while also subverting academic freedon.
   
   I especially like the author's conclusion, "What Price Israel?" The US taxpayer is subsidizing Israeli genocide and Israeli idiocy, and the US and Israel appear to be the last two countries to continue to believe in the value of force that is both unaffordable and unsustainable in an unconquerable world.
   
   Congressman Tom Moran, who represents my district, has personally said that Zionish have too much influence on Congress, and I agree. Tom Moran has been a very good representative, and he speaks the truth.
   
   Here are some books and a DVD that can put the totally unacceptable Zionist influence on the USA in a larger context:
   
   Hostile Takeover: How Big Money and Corruption Conquered Our Government--And How We Take It Back
   The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised As Freedom
   The Global Class War: How America's Bipartisan Elite Lost Our Future - and What It Will Take to Win It Back
   The Best Democracy Money Can Buy
   Fog Facts : Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin (Nation Books)
   Running on Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It
   The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track (Institutions of American Democracy)



5. Findley, a pure PRO-AMERICAN is one of the rare congressman with a backbone who,... puts America first. He was and is the pioneer of bringing attention to Americas getting off course with a spineless and cowardly Legislature - especially today. I feel Findley's courageous and 'making America' aware of the cancer within it book should be read and taken VERY seriously. Outstanding and other A+ scholarly works on this topic are: Jimmy Carter's: Palestine:Peace Not Apartheid; ans most recent is "The Israel Lobby," by Mearshiemer and Walt. These are also excellent objective reads that bring true clarity to what's really going on today.

5 comments about Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History.

1. This reads like a thesis. Almost every paragraph starts with why Chomsky, another professor at a prestigious university, is wrong.
   
   I couldn't stand it.



2. This is a must read, specially for those who support Israel and Zionism. Norman Finkelstein raises questions that we should all contemplate. Regardless of your political views, you can only gain from this book. Sadly, Prof. Finkelstein has already paid the price for his views.



3. this is an attempt at honest analysis of this issue.
   however,the various author are so angry at each other that often are more
   attent at respond to each other and the objectivity suffers.
   this does not mean to imply that this particular book is misleading. it tries very hard to be impartial and it almost often succeeds



4. As one can see from the enthusiastic celebrations around this book, it is indeed a long waited for delicacy for all those who are uneasy with the idea that the Jewish People are also entitled to their national sovereignty in their ancient-new homeland. These celebrating people do not like to consider themselves anti-Semites (today it is not considered bon-ton), and are deeply offended when somebody dares to suggest that they are, but nevertheless they are convinced that the rebuilding of the Jewish State in our times is an intolerable outrage. They are passionately trying to prove that the Jewish State is illegitimate, or at least its struggle to defend itself from its sworn deadly enemies is.
   And now here comes this Jewish Guru who in his new book "scholarly and methodically" analyses and proves how right they are and gives them his stamp of approval, his certificate of Kosherness. They couldn't have asked for more, "the right thing at the right time" and hence this enthusiastic welcome.
   
   Nevertheless, I would like to remind everybody a well known idiosyncrasy of the Jewish people, which may help to bring this whole issue in the right perspective. The Jews have a singular tendency to soul-searching which characterizes them since ancient times (remember the Prophets?). We have a strong tendency to demanding from ourselves uncompromising high standards of conduct which we are not always succeeding to live up to, and this leads to very harsh and very frequently unfair self-criticism. You can find it in articles written by Jewish reporters in Israeli newspapers as well as abroad. You can find it also in books like the subject one. Sometimes this self-criticism becomes unreasonably harsh and unfair, bordering with insanity, and sometimes it is outright insane. Even though the motives are diametrically opposite, this insanity is very similar to another soul pathology called anti-Semitism.
   
   In a way, this insane level of the characteristic Jewish soul-searching and the anti-Semitic pathology are related, and feeding each other. On one side the anti-Semite is more than happy to concur with the Jewish self criticism, especially when it is sufficiently insane. On the other side, the insane Jewish leftist is convinced that as soon as we become angels, the anti-Semites will suddenly realize how nice people we are, and will instantly fall in love with the Jews.
   
   This is in a nutshell my explanation to this biased, tendentious, one-sided and unfair anti-Semitic hate-pamphlet written by a deranged self-hating Jewish intellectual, and the enthusiastic way it is welcome by anti-Semites worldwide, Jewish and non-Jewish.



5. The book is a classic and I will not discuss it further. I will add that Finkelstein is a martyr for the truth. His courageous exposure of Zionist and Israeli attempts to manipulate the truth and deny it has cost him dear. He got fired from his academic position courtesy of pressure on his univeristy by the Zionist Lobby and was recently disinvited to appear before the Oxford Union again due to pressure from the Zionist Lobby that fears a truth-teller like Finkelstein and wants to silence him.

No comments about Negotiating Arab-Israeli Peace: American Leadership in the Middle East.

5 comments about History Upside Down: The Roots of Palestinian Fascism and the Myth of Israeli Agression.

1. This book is a must read for those interested in the real nature of the Isreali/Arab conflict and its history. I was aware that the P.A. even after Oslo continued to act like they were more interested in destroying Israel than in building a viable state. I was aware that there has never previously been a Palestinian State in history. But I was not aware that the origin of the P.L.O. and its original master was the K.G.B. I was not aware of the ties between the Muslim Brotherhood and Nazi Germany. This book is well-written and well-documented.



2. 
   In this short but highly instructive book David-Meir-Levi deals with the phenomenon of how the truth of history has been turned upside down by the Arabs/Muslims and their allies on the international left.
   Historical revisionism of the worst kind has been so successful that at the United Nations, the world media and university campuses around the globe, Israel under genocidal attack since it's birth has been presented as a "Colonial oppressor", an "Apartheid State", "Racist" , "Fascist" and "Imperialist".
   Israel, living in the shadow of the Holocaust have in a bizarre and sick twist of rhetoric and propaganda even been frequently branded as "Nazis".
   The author "Arab propaganda under Communist tutelage transmuted the unacceptable anti-Semitism into justifiable anti-Zionism, and turned an odious Jew-hatred into a politically correct Israel-hatred".
   
   Meir-Levi describes the machinations of of the Mufti Haj Amin Al Husseini, his instigation of and planning of the 1920, 1921, 1929 and 1936-1939 pogroms in which hundreds of Jews were butchered by Arab terrorists.
   The author points out the extensive use of swastikas, portraits of Hitler and Nazi imagery during the 1936-1939 "Great Arab Revolt" of 1936-1939.
   He traces Al Husseini's close collaboration with Hitler and Eichmann. Al Husseini was one of the originators of the systematic destruction of European Jewry and was a close associate, confidante and advisor to Eichmann. He organized the Bosnian Muslim SS Hanjar divisions that annihilated 90% of Bosnian Jews and persuaded the Axis powers to prevent any Jews leaving Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria diverting hundreds of thousands of Jews to the death camps. Eichmann recounted "We have promised him (the mufti) that no European Jew would enter Palestine anymore."
   A more detailed account of the history of the Mufti and Hitler can be found in The Nazi Connection to Islamic Terrorism: Adolf Hitler and Haj Amin al-Husseini.
   
   During the 1961 Eichmann trial in Jerusalem, Hannah Arendt commented on the astounding degree of anti-Jewish venom and praise for Hitler in the Arab press together with regret that he "did not finish the job".
   40 years later the state-controlled Egyptian daily Al Akhbar (April 18, 2001) declared "Our thanks to the late Hitler who wrought, in advance, the vengeance of the Palestinians upon the most despicable villains on the face of the earth. However we rebuke Hitler for the fact that the vengeance was insufficient".
   Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said of the Jews after the 2006 Lebanon War "If they gather in Israel it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide" and former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani thundering his aims of a second holocaust and final solution declared "The use of nuclear bomb in Israel will leave nothing on the ground, whereas it will only damage the world of Islam."
   The author describes how the PLO was a brainchild of the KGB working with Nasser, how the Vietnamese Communists and Romanian dictator Ceausescu persuaded Arafat to repackage his propaganda so that the Arab onslaught against Israel would be transformed in the world imagination as an anti-colonial struggle by the "oppressed Palestinians".
   He outlines the support given by the Communist bloc to the Palestinian terror networks such as the PLO and PFLP, and the Arab campaign to drown Israel in blood.
   The author carefully debunks the Arab hoax that "the Zionists stole our land", and reminds us how many times the Palestinians turned down the opportunity of obtaining a Palestinian State alongside Israel, as they were determined to destroy Israel and replace her with a Judenreihn "Palestine from the river to the sea".
   In this they have been diabolically supported by the International Left.
   
   Meir-Levi also outlines the truth about the much maligned security fence which has saved tens of thousands of Israeli lives and been dubbed by Israel's enemies as 'The Apartheid Wall".
   Clearly the opponents of the barrier believe that Israeli lives are far less important than Palestinian inconvenience.
   They also ignore the fact that many other countries have security barriers, some far more formidable than Israel's provisional fence.
   
   The book traces how the evacuation by Israel of ten thousand Jews from Gaza and the handing over of Gaza over to full Palestinian control led to a renewed war by the Arabs of Gaza against Israel's people sending thousands of rockets into Israel with the aim of killing and maiming Israeli men, women and children.
   Over 1800 Israelis (mainly women and children) have been killed since Arafat launched a war of terror against Israel's people in 2000, and thousands more maimed and injured.
   The author finally points out that the incitement to genocide by the likes of Hezbollah's Nasrallah and Iran's Ahamdinejad may strip away the illusions of a struggle for Palestinian "liberation" and "national aspirations" and re-situate the Arab/Islamic Jihad against Israel with it's true roots- that of the Nazis and the Muslim Brotherhood.
   If university departments had any interest in a true representation of the history and facts of the conflict, this would be a prescribed book, but unfortunately on most universities the aim is the opposite- venomous propaganda.



3. At the outset of this gripping, well written study the writer declares that the "basic script" of the Middle East conflict has changed over the last generation.
   
   The author maintaining that the fundamental issue in the Middle East today is the same as it has effectively been since the Muslim invasion in the seventh century. That being the hatred of the Jews. Although the writer admits that such is routinely denied by apologists for the Arab/Islamic world, the book proceeds to examine a number of relevant issues which support this particular outlook.
   
   The book examines, how in recent times, the Arab war against the very existence of the Jewish state, has been waged for sixty years without a let-up. The text highlighting how Islamic/Arab leaders allegedly still yearn for their own "final solution" of the Jewish problem.
   
   The attention of the reader is drawn to how, today, it is expediently overlooked that in 1948 there would not have been one single Arab refugee - not even one - had the Arab states not chosen to go to war in defiance of a United Nations resolution with the declared aim of destroying the newly reborn State of Israel.
   
   With Israel being restored to areas of it's ancient Biblical homeland during the 1967 conflict the reader is also shown how since that time the perception of the region, and that of the international community, has changed. The writer citing how prior to the Six Day War,the aggressors were purportedly seen as Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq etc.. These nations being seen then as the aggressive "Goliath" as opposed to the lesser "David" of Israel. By comparison, today the new "David" are the Palestinians, and Israel has become the new threatening aggressive "Goliath".
   
   The book pulls no punches as the reader is shown how for decades the Arab world sought to eradicate the Jewish state. After military failures the Arab world constantly inventing new public relations themes, new form of disinformation or new ways to misrepresent the Arab war against Israel.
   
   The book revealing how the "Palestinianization" of the campaign of Arab aggression arose from a realization that you can allegedly further your agenda far more successfully through the political goals of self-determination than with declarations of intended genocide.
   
   The very adoption of the "Palestinian cause" then becoming the fig leaf for the Arab war against Israel. A cause which has cloaked it's parallel agenda with political and media spin that has completely distorted the public's perception of what is really going on in the Middle East.
   
   The reader is made aware of how basic historical truths and absolute facts relating to the Israeli-Palestinian/Arab conflict are being ignored or trodden underfoot. Through the media and political theatres, the perception of the Western public being slanted by a series of half-truths, selective omission and some basic untruths that allegedly serve to further the International interests of a plethora of nations.
   
   The reader becomes aware how it has been readily forgotten that the Israeli government, together with many International entities, only agreed to recognise and speak to Arafat/PLO at the very outset, on the firm agreement that they refrain from and utterly renounce terrorism and attend the negotiating table. Instead, the PLO still embraced terrorism and walked away from the negotiating table in favour of violence.
   
   The Israeli government while acting in self defence, then being subjected to widespread international criticism, with even it's sovereign right of self defence being brought into question. Palestinian violence now being seen as "legitimate" and any Israeli act of self defence being the issue brought into question. History and the present indeed being turned "upside down" as the title of this excellent work suggests.
   
   The media theme shown to be that Israel alone is allegedly responsible for the turmoil in the Middle East and that Israel alone holds the key to peace/stability and then subsequently portrayed as an outlaw state. This creating an international climate of anti-Israeli sentiment, that the Arab/Islamic world is intent upon using towards the eradication and annihilation of the Jewish state.
   
   Various stages of the so called "peace process" are analized. Not least of these is the Palestinian refugee problem, which the study cites as being created by the Arabs themselves while flouting UN Resolutions, international law and their refusal to accept the existence of ANY Jewish state in 1947/8. A problem of their very own making, that they have been successful in deceiving the international community into placing unjust blame upon Israel.
   
   It is clear from the contents of this study that Palestinian demands, plus those of the Islamic/Arab world, do not and will not end at the 1967 border. The text revealing how umerous groups have repeatedly reaffirmed a strategy of conquest of Israeli territory in stages, and the present generation of Palestinians being indoctrinated in the belief that Israel, all of it, is theirs.
   
   Arafat himself, on the same day that he shook hands with the Clinton/Rabin on the White House lawn, declaring in Arabic to a Jordanian audience that all Israeli ground ceded to him under any peace treaty, would be used as a stepping-off point to obtain more territory and the eventual eradication of Israel.
   
   May I respectfully recommend the following books to those interested in the history and context of the conflict and subjects addressed in this study by David Meir-Levi. Thank you.
   
   "A History of Palestine; 634 - 1099" by Moshe Gil.
   "Empires Of The Sands; Struggle For Mastery In The Middle East, 1789 - 1923" by Efraim & Inari Karsh
   "The Palestine War 1948; Arab - Israeli Conflict" by Efraim Karsh
   "Fabricating Israeli History; The `New Historians' " by Efraim Karsh
   "Battleground; Fact & Fantasy In Palestine" by Samuel Katz
   "Arafat's War" by Efraim Karsh
   "Islam & The Jews" by Professor Mark Gabriel
   "The Nazi Connection to Islamic Terrorism: Adolf Hitler and Haj Amin al-Husseini" by Chuck Morse.



4. This small work contains a concise and accurate description of the way the Arab-Islamic and Radical Left worlds have combined to turn the historical truth upside - down, demonize and isolate Israel. It tells how Terror, both physical and intellectual have become the weapons of choice of the Palestinian Arabs and their supporters. It shows how they have used a bogus 'human rights' strategy to promote their undermining of support for Israel. It touches upon the historical roots of the conflict, and even exposes the nefarious role played by the Mufti in supporting the Nazis, and leading to the destruction of Jews in Europe. It points out how the historical efforts of Israel to compromise have been met by an Arab insistence on Israel's disappearance.
   This book should be sent to every media person who deals in any way with the Middle East. A highly recommended work.



5. This book was truly an eye-opener for me. I read it at one sitting, in a cafe, it was so engrossing. The author, a brilliant American-Israeli Professor of History, brings to light many little-known facts having to do with the origins of the Middle East conflict which, if they were understood, would place the affair in an entirely different perspective. As the author makes clear, the subtitle is completely apt. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, during the era when "Palestine" was administered as a British mandate, was in cahoots with Hitler. There were many massacres of peace-loving Jewish settlers. Also, Yasir Arafat was in the employ of the KGB, who had videotapes of him "in flagrante delicto" with boys supplied by the Romanian monster Ceaucescu from his hellish orphanages. Such FACTS, as indeed they are, give the lie to the myth of Israeli "aggression", as indeed the so-called Palestinians are nothing of the kind, i.e., they have no independent identity. It was entirely fabricated by Arafat and promoted by the Arab League as a way of delegitimatizing Israel. These people are actually much better off under Israeli rule, which demonstrates that Israel needs to be ENLARGED, rather than have its territory stolen by the United Nations (i.e., have a Palestinian terrorist state forced upon it). The "Palestinian Authority", under Arafat, stole billions of dollars from its own people that were intended for infrastructure and the like, and then, of course, they blame the Jews for their own misery - and the world buys the lie! Incredible!
   
   Thank you, Professor Meir-Levi, for your courage in writing this fantastic book. I look forward to similar works from your pen in the future, and I will recommend this book to all of my friends and wide acquaintanceship.

5 comments about From Beirut to Jerusalem.

1. This book was recommended to me by a Friend, after 9/11, to help me understand the "thinking" in that area. Since then I have done a great deal of research but this was my "starter" book. I found it to be excellent in giving the true complexity of what has been and is now going on in that area
   
   I recommend this book to anyone who wants a history lesson on the Civil War of the 80's in Lebanon and then, compare what happened then to what is happening now.
   
   I find it fascinating to hear what the perceived solutions to the problems at the time were, what was done, and what has happened since.



2. Without a doubt, the most informative, intelligent and unbiased writer on the Middle East. A must read for anyone interested in the past or the furure of the Region.



3. I read this book right before I moved to Israel when I was 24 years old in 1996. This book helped to greatly broaden my perspective and empathy for people on all sides of the Middle East conflicts. Its also the complete opposite of a dry read. Its packed with personal stories and anecdotes that deeply personalize the plights of people on all sides. I think if I hadn't read this book first, I would have landed in Israel considerably more ignorant, arrogant, and just plain dumb.



4. This book is so amazing, just for the neutral opinion that the author has throughout all its chapters. Well of course, its been written as an eyes of an American, but none the less it is quite absorbing. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is intrigues by the complexity of the region.
   
   This book brings back to life the question I always asked myself, 'how come Yaseer Arafat received the Noble peace prize' which proves the fact that' one persons terrorist is other persons freedom fighter!!!!'
   
   Definitely read it, you will not be disappointed. The humor in the book all through is outstanding.



5. I have always admired Thomas Friedman as an insightful writer of truth. Although a Jew his writing is impartial. He clearly states that he has friends both Israeli and Arab, and has been criticized by his American countrymen. I have often wondered why his opinions are not solicited by U.S. government officials, but perhaps no one wants to face the truth that on all sides of the Middle Eastern difficulties there are human beings whose opinions need to be heard and their concerns recognized.
   
   In an spellbinding anecdotal presentation of the facts Mr. Friedman treats the reader with substance often lacking in the usual reporting that at best presents a few highlights of daily events.
   
   Kenneth Ray Taylor author of Standup Comedian: The Secret and Beyond

5 comments about Blood Brothers, exp. ed..

1. Chacour transports the reader into his experience as a Palestinian child growing up amidst the turmoil of Zionist takeover in Israel. The experience of his family's diaspora and his personal journey from an exile living far from his destroyed home to his education in Europe to his return home to help sow the seeds of peace according to the Christian tradition prescribed in the Beatitudes.
   
   This book shows a side to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict that is far too often untold or dismissed. It is the side of the exiled, those forced off their land to create the modern nation of Israel. In no way is this book a polemical jab against the Jewish nation, rather it is the true story of a Christian Palestinian working within Israel to create a peaceful land where all are truly welcomed and are safe.
   
   This is a must read for all. It will open your eyes.



2. If you want to know the real, honest, truth at what happened in Palestine between Jews and Palestinians this is a must read.



3. This book is moving, powerful, and inspirational. It is extremely well written, engaging, and thought provoking. It had me in tears more than once. I feel privileged to have read it. Elias Chacour has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize, and it would be gratifying to see him win it. Whether he ever reaps such earthly recognition, however, he has indeed proven himself blessed by his Lord as a worthy servant and peacemaker.



4. This is an incredible, heart-touching book that helps one understand the Israeli and Palestinian conflict much better than just what you see on the news. Incredible morals are woven through the book too.



5. This book as assigned to my son for reading for an online class. I picked it up and starting reading it to help him and got glued to its pages. Easy and quick reading.

5 comments about Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.

1. Do Not Waste Your Money Buying This Book!
   
   I cannot believe that President Jimmy Carter is so BLIND in what he thinks to be true regarding Israel. If he had spent a few more years studying his bible and believing what it says instead of listening to his Arabs friends bent on the destruction of Israel, he would not be acting so foolishly.
   
   The land, without a doubt, belongs to Israel. Do a deed search. You will wind up in the book of Genesis reading where the God Almighty gave it to Abraham and his descendants for all eternity. That's right, the original deed holder was the one and ONLY GOD ALMIGHTY Himself.
   
   Along with that gift came a Promise of protection. God said, "I will bless those who bless Israel and I will curse those who curse Israel."
   
   Those words are pretty plain. The God who said those words has wiped out more people from the face of the earth than any man, for those who have sinned against Him. I believe He means what He says.
   
   By the way, God said that long before there were any Arabs. The word Palestine originally referred to Israel and the Jews. Not the Arabs who have spun the story to their benefit.
   
   I don't know why I let this upset me because God has promised his protection to Israel. He doesn't need the USA to do it. But the USA would be blessed for trying instead of all the curses coming our way. God does control the planet. Noticed any violent unnatural weather or other disasters lately? 911, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc? There will be more to come unless we start aiding Israel. Aid and support. Not trying to give away their God given lands.



2. everyone tip-toes around criticizing israel for fear of being seen as an anti-semite...but her policies around the palestinians are about three steps shy of genocide...take a look with an unbiased eye, and form your opinion...



3. Read this book. President Carter is the person we call when the world needs an honest, impartial, compassionate, trustworthy advisor.
   
   The persecution of the people of Palestine by the Israelis is not Apartheid. It's a Holocaust.
   
   God bless you President Carter for your honesty, your compassion, and your courage.



4. This is an informative book on the Palestinian situation. Just the historical chronology, the related maps on different dates, and the Appendices including the text of U.N. Resolutions provide excellent reference material.
   
   Carter's "land for peace" premise is straightforward as expressed on page 17. He believes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be resolved when: 1) Palestinians and other Arab countries will fully recognize Israel; 2) Violence and terrorism against civilians in Israel will abate; and 3) Palestinians will live in peace and dignity in their own land. He repeats those conditions in the concluding Summary. Within it he also specifies that Israel has to explicitly recognize its borders before 1967 as it had agreed within U.N. Resolution 242. Carter also states that the chronic obstacle to those conditions for peace is the belief by many Israelis that "they have the right to confiscate ...Palestinian land and try to justify the ... persecution of ... hopeless... Palestinians." "Some Palestinians react by honoring suicide bombers as martyrs... and consider the killing of Israelis as victories." Carter also adds that a major obstacle to peace has been the U.S. passivity towards the issue and its unconditional supportive bias towards Israel no matter what its behavior. As he states: "because of powerful political, economic, and religious forces in the U.S., Israeli government decisions are rarely questioned." There are many books on this subject, including The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy and The Power of Israel in the United States.
   
   Carter notes that "most American citizens are unaware of circumstances in the occupied territories." His purpose is to educate the American public to the plight of the Palestinians. He wants to trigger a domestic debate to foster understanding that should allow America to facilitate permanent peace in the region. America has to be perceived as a fair mediator by the Arab world. Carter hopes the info he imparts will get us to reach a fairer assessment.
   
   Since his Presidency in 1977, Carter's life as a peace waging diplomat has been closely intertwined with the contemporary history of the Middle East and the Israel-Palestinian conflict in particular. Carter's first hand narrative of the Camp David Accords in 1978 that he brokered between Sadat (Egypt) and Begin (Israel) is fascinating as described in chapter 3. He has known the majority of the current and previous generation of Middle Eastern leaders on a first name basis. He shares such firsthand accounts within chapters 4 and 5 including these leaders' detailed perspective on the conflict. In the next few chapters, he analyzes all four succeeding White House Administrations handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unlike former Presidents, he remains engaged at every step by facilitating diplomatic meetings, attending political conferences, monitoring elections, implementing humanitarian projects through his Carter Center while maintaining his contacts with Middle Eastern leaders.
   
   Carter having observed the treatment of Palestinians firsthand thinks it fits the definition of apartheid precisely (separation of people from their homeland). In chapter 16 "The Wall of Prison" he is alarmed at how the Israelis built this huge wall around the West Bank encroaching and seizing Palestinian lands (see map pg. 191) separating some Palestinians from their own families and agricultural lands. He feels that the Israelis have imprisoned Palestinians.
   
   Currently, there are books by established political scientists suggesting that despair and poverty are not the root of terrorism such as What Makes a Terrorist: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism (Lionel Robbins Lectures). In some cases, I may be inclined to agree. But, not here. The Palestinians lack of any human rights, comfort, and peace of mind combined with chronic Israeli land grab and military provocations leave them with little recourse but to lash out violently. Carter repeatedly denounces terrorism. But, he recognizes what triggers it.
   
   This book is controversial as Jewish scholars accused Carter of being wrong on many counts. They compiled their rebuttals in a book: Bearing False Witness: Jimmy Carter's Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. But, the latter stronger assertion is that Carter misinterpreted the key U.N. resolution 242, where the authors believe Carter falsely claimed that Israel had been required to cede the lands acquired in 1967. But, U.N. resolution 242 written in 1967 states " (i) Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict [1967 6-day-war]." Carter is right. Additionally, Carter practices full disclosure by publishing the literal text of key UN. Resolutions and peace accords. So, you can check the wording for yourself. I double checked the veracity of those texts that are accessible on line, and they all paned out.
   
   Carter is the only Western leader who had contacts with Hamas that now runs the Palestinian government. His narratives suggest they are more moderate than the Media conveys. For visiting Hamas, Carter has been ostracized for collaborating with terrorists. But, as a result of his undertaking dialogue with Hamas they seem more open to peace negotiations than the Israelis are.
   
   In the conclusion, Carter derives hope for peace by observing that polls of both Israelis and Palestinians show a majority of the population favoring a two-State solution as a condition for peace. But, the chronic refusal of Israel's political leadership to honor the terms of U.N. Resolution 242 represents an obstacle to peace in the region.
   
   Anyone who is emotionally detached from this issue will recognize this is a rare document of history. L. Carl Brown with Foreign Affairs gave this book an excellent review. Also, Jimmy Carter Man from Plains is an interesting documentary on his U.S. book tour.



5. Inspiration thoughts from a great American hero. He put himself on the line for writing this and I hope American patriots will stand by his side.
   
   God Bless You Jimmy Carter.

5 comments about Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-2001.

1. Don't be fooled by the deceptive calm of the apparent "even-handed" tone of this book. Although it is aimed at being the comprehensive history of the land that has become Israel/Palestine from 1881-2001, and is certainly long enough, I was impressed with what it left out rather than what it added to the existing histories, and what it leaves out is telling as to where the author's sympathies lie. He admits he's a Zionist and this book is really an apologia for what Zionists have done since 1881 - I believe that is the reason this book exists. He also reveals his political affiliations and shows more of his colours towards the end of the book - I really don't think a historian needs to lead readers to fabricated conclusions based on his opinions - we should be clever enough to do that if he just shows us the facts. Although he is a lot more honest than most historians of the ongoing conflict, and includes much detail that casts both Zionists and Arabs in a morally reprehensible light, the author doesn't tell the half of it.
   
   For example, he doesn't document from when, how, and how much Zionists obtained their massive support from America during this period - America's relationship with Israel is only glancingly mentioned and only becomes prominent during the excitement of the first Camp David. The deal made with the Hashemites and the Arab Legion to limit themselves largely to Jerusalem in 1948 is not sufficiently covered, making their relative docility seem part of the "miracle" of 1948. There's hardly any analysis regarding the refugee question "did they run or were they forced to leave?" We are just left with "fled or were expelled" - note which word was used first. The Occupation material didn't cover exactly why the Palestinians were so angry at the multifarious ways in which their basic living conditions were continually eroded in Gaza and the West Bank (which the author refers to, tellingly, as Judea and Samaria) from 1967 onwards. Indeed, the second Intifada seems to be a complete mystery to the author as to why it happened at all - as if things had got any better for them since the first - though the author is never short of reasons why they might be themselves to blame for their own frustration. At one point, on p565, he suggests that the Occupation brought good things to the West Bank and Gaza, including access to Israeli hospitals "which lead to a dramatic expansion of the population and overcrowding, especially in Gaza" - you sense the author rues the fact that they didn't just die off naturally..."but none of this sufficed to erase...the inhabitant's political frustration or anger". Some people are hard to please.
   
   The author continues by glossing over the reasons why Arafat could not come to an agreement with Barak at Camp David II, Sharm El-Sheikh, or Taba - far from the 27 pages devoted to who said what to whom at the first Camp David talks in 1979, the second Camp David in 2000 got 1 page (in a 700 page work), Sharm El-Shiekh talks got one paragraph and Taba was not even mentioned at all - I got the distinct sense that the author was furious with Arafat for rejecting "the best deal he was ever going to be offered" - and refusing to explore why he might have done so.
   
   Structurally, once the author finishes with the interesting early history of the region, he basically lurches from one war to the next as a way of relating "history". This is clever, because since the Jews and then Israel "won all its wars" (and far too much of the book is devoted to admittedly exciting, blow-by-blow accounts of those winning wars), whether they deliberately provoked them or not, it presents one side in a glowing, winning light - which is disappointing because there's a lot more to history than the number of planes one can shoot out of the sky in an exhilirating afternoon - it is more about under the table alliances and vote buying support for resulting political and material gain, and covert subversion of opposing state apparatus. It's about media manipulation so the public only hear one side of the story. It's about sucking the water out from under Palestianians' feet in Gaza and elsewhere - it's all the interwar plotting and planning that goes on that results in wars. It's about straitjacketing their land and livelihoods and then wondering why there are suicide bombers and intifadas.
   
   In his conclusions, the author decides to tell it straight as to why the Palestinians lost to Israel because (p680) "It was Europeans versus Third World people". I've lost count of the number of times he basically blames the Palestinians for losing because their own culture was backward and primitive and it basically got what it deserved. In the final analysis, Morris concludes that Israel is in the position it is in right now (in terms of holding all the cards, winning wars against Palestinians and Arabs in general - "So the Zionists have been winners in this conflict" he writes in his final page) because it has and has had a superior culture and social structure - as if successful US lobbying and massive financial and materialsupport had nothing to do with it. The Arabs only have themselves to blame for their current situation. The book's thrust is a detailed retelling of Palestinian aggression, for the most part, and, with only rare though honest exceptions, the Jewish response to those aggressions (paraphrasing the book's final sentence). Small wonder the book is called "Righteous Victims". We are left in no doubt as to who the righteous victims are.
   
   This is an apologia.



2. If you want to understand the Arab Israeli conflict this is the best book that you can get. Covers the relevant history and deals evenly with both sides. Points out Israel's start of the suicide bombings and shows the ineffective nature of the PLO in getting their demands through unreasonable leadership. Overall it is just an excellent book that gets straight to the point about its topic. If you are looking for a book that talks about terrorism or the conflict in the Middle East this is a great place to start. This was a wonderful textbook for a class on the Arab Israeli conflict. The history was clearly outlined and made for useful discussions of how the conflict evolved.



3. I have read several works on the historical roots of the conflict, but this book is probably the best overall history in one work. Morris does pretty well at taking an even hand with his writing; although he probably could have shortened it by a couple hundred pages by leaving out some of the "breathless" play-by-play commentary of battle tactics in the various wars. Overall, it is well worth the time invested if you want a better understanding of the subject.



4. Benny Morris rose to the forefront of Israel's 'New Historians' in the 1980's with the publication of 'Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem,' which provided radically new evidence which altered modern perceptions of the region forever. Morris retains his important findings in Righteous Victims and expands on them, covering virtually the entire history of the Israel-Palestine conflict. I found the earlier chapters leading up to the creation of the State of Israel on the earliest Zionist settlers to be particularly interesting; Morris presents a picture which indicates that the current bloodshed is by no means a product of natural necessity. The ethnic cleansing of Palestine and subsequent military occupation is the cause. However, Morris becomes overly ideological in the concluding sections of the book, allowing his harsh realist politics to creep in. Nevertheless, this is arguably the most comprehensive single volume about the history of the conflict.



5. Like every treatment of the Arab Israeli conflict, this book will not please everyone (or anyone?). The book is brisk. Fortunately, Morris has an even tone throughout and does not remain fixed on any one subject for too long. As anyone knows who has written on a broad topic, this is an exceptional accomplishment. Even at 600 plus pages, this book could have easily gotten bogged along the way on the wealth of detail about this well researched conflict. And this book shows that despite some of Morris' more inflammatory interviews recently, he can still present a work of historical research that is even handed and fair.

5 comments about The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.

1. A real eye opener.
   
   This book may be a little difficult for some to come to terms with and for others even more difficult to accept. It is something that has been placed in the psyche of us in Europe after the horrors of the holocaust that any criticism of the state of Israel or Zionism is equal to anti semitism. That the state of Israel was created out of the ashes of the second world war in order to provide a safe and free land for Jews the world over and a place of return for the Jews to their historical homeland.
   
   This book dispels the myth. Pappe rather presents the establishment of the state of Israel as being not only created by men whose ideology was every equal of the extreme nationalism that European Jews had suffered under but also created out of the ethnic cleansing of the native population of that land, the Palestinians.
   
   Pappe begins his book by providing us with with definitions of ethnic cleansing quoting from the United Nations amongst others. unfortunately his use of wikipedia, an 'encyclopedia' by his own admissions is edited by anyone in order to further his argument greatly diminishes his own introduction. While he may choose to use this in his own words to gauge public opinion on how genocide and ethnic cleansing is defined the fact that wikipedia is more of a soap box for anyone with a grudge makes the website frankly worthless.
   
   According to Pappe, ethnic cleansing is something that requires planning and pre-thought before execution and in the first few chapters Pappe documents how Zionist leaders wrote up maps of Palestinian areas, their populations and numbers. Pappe is also quick to point out however, how some Palestinian leaders were only too happy to sell off land to Zionist settlers believing that the greater threat to their land was the colonialism of the British. For some, the Zionists were the poor of Europe and offered little threat, little were they to know that these people would be one and the same who orchestrated their own extinction from their own lands.
   
   Pappe goes on to examine the execution of the Zionist plans of forced expulsion of Palestinians under threats of murder, how the response of Arab militias resulted in further excuses for Zionist outrages on civilian populations. Pappe gives examples of Palestinian villages of both Christian and Muslim who were wiped from the map. Further examples of man (Defined as aged between 10 and 50) being separated from their women folk and executed. Examples of mass rape, destruction of Churches, Mosques, orchards are also given.
   
   Another interesting point is the Arab-Israeli war which Pappe defines as a 'phony war' Pointing out that Jordan had no intention of defending Palestinians rather in protecting its agreed annexation of the West Bank. How the poorly armed and trained Arab armies were no match for the Zionist forces due to the Egyptians while large in numbers (Swelled by the Muslim brotherhood whose lack of any military training made them more a liability than help) The Syrians lack of modern arms, the Lebanese whose numbers were so small they were more concerned with holding onto their own land and Iraqis. Most of these forces were tied down by their own political leaders who had no intentions of seeing them defend the Palestinian people.
   
   I believe it was Robert Fisk in his book 'Pity the nation' who once pointed out the irony of the victims of genocide often being the most enthusiastic perpetrators of it. It is interesting that most of the criticism of this book is that it is 'anti semitic' (Strange considering the author is Jewish!) and reminds me of how Serbs would point out the massacres that were committed against their people in World War 2 by Croatian militias as though that somehow justifies the slaughter of thousands in Bosnia and Kosovo. Similarly Zionists use the holocaust to deflect war crimes in Lebanon and the ethnic cleansing of an entire people in Palestine.
   
   Thankfully Pappe has brought this to the worlds attention in a book that while filled with information that will be shocking and disturbing is also clear and easy to read.



2. To gain an idea of the dilemma in Palestine/Israel and the behavior of the both parties over the past 60 years, this is a great starting point.
   It give a clear and precise detail of the Nakbar, (the catastrophe).
   References are made in many volumes of the Nakbar but here in this book is a is a detailed history of events that happened in 1948 and they go a long way in explaining current day attitudes and behavior of both parties.
   I would suggest that it is a must read for any one wishing to gain a reasonable understanding of the situation in Palestine/Israel today and how it came to be so.



3. Great Israeli historian speaks the truth with much detail! Tis' about the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Palestinian population during the creation of the modern Israeli state. Check it!



4. At its birth, the official narrative goes, the State of Israel was confronted with unfriendly neighbors, and a hostile indigenous people (the Palestinians) who sought to destroy it. Faced with such overwhelming odds, we are told, the 'little state that could' fought on to independence and established the first "liberal democracy" in the Middle East.
   
   There is no doubt this story is compelling: a scrappy underdog cast in our own image, a feckless foreign foe, and an 'against all odds victory' . Yet for the serious student of history this version of events falls woefully short and conspicuously fails to answer why a war of independence resulted in the displacement of almost 700,000 Palestinian civilians?
   
   This critical question is the focus of Illan Pappe's "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine", a remarkably well researched book that draws mainly on Israeli military and government archives to put the old historical canards to rest. Pappe focuses on the Israeli war plan for 1948, Plan Dalet, and uncovers a chilling trail of memorandums and letters full of the official language used to plan and carry out the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
   
   One sees first hand the meticulous care that Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, and his closest advisers used to ensure that the nascent state had the minimum number of Palestinians possible. Military operations named "Broom" and "Scissors" often carried instructions to "purify" captured territories, which commanders on the ground dutifully did by forcibly expelling hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and destroying their villages.
   
   Yet despite the litany of atrocities and expulsions that the book chronicles, one can't help but come away from reading it hopeful that by uncovering the past we come one step closer to reconciling the seemingly intractable Palestinian-Israeli conflict.



5. This is an excellent description, though not a blow-by-blow account, of the 1948 ethnic cleansing or Nakba. The author uses Zionist materials to show how the plan to expel the Palestinians was developed and carried out. I would have liked a more detailed description of the line from Plan Aleph to Plan Daleth, the final solution used by the Haganah.