Customer Reviews

Arafat's War: The Man and His Battle for Israeli Conquest

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a splendid, stunning, investigative work of dramatic proportions by the Professor and Head of Mediterranean Studies at Kings College, University of London.

The reader cannot fail but be impressed by the depth of knowledge and experience upon which this book is founded. An incisive, thought-provoking, penetrating exposé of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat that surgically excises any propaganda to reveal a discerning revelation of the "man and his mission". An immensely readable & well argued book commendably drawing upon Arabic, Hebrew and English language sources and which holds the reader's attention on every page. A book which will undoubtedly draw much reaction from all sides of the political spectrum.

This book is "strong medicine" and the reader will be immediately aware that the book does not pull any punches with Arafat being described on the cover as a "bloodthirsty terrorist with no respect for human lives, impervious to his own peoples needs & aspirations" whilst being absolutely committed to "Israel's destruction".

It is virtually impossible to refer to all the issues covered in a review alone. However, the book opens with a description of the establishment of the PLO in 1964 when the areas of the "West Bank" and Gaza were already under Arab rule, leaving the reader to assess what "Palestine" actually needed "liberating". At the outset the book cites on page 10 that Yasser Arafat himself does not even conform to what his "own" definition of a "Palestinian" is. This is discussed at some length but essentially reveals that Yasser Arafat (born Muhammad Abdel Rahman Abdel Rauf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini, in Cairo, Egypt on August 24 1929) had never resided in "Palestine" prior to 1947 as required in the Palestinian National Covenant "definition", or indeed at any subsequent time until his arrival in the Gaza Strip in 1994. Many may find this a most interesting analysis on it's own merits.

Another important issue in this study is Arafat's alleged rejection of Palestinian "statehood" in 2,000. Arafat is accused here of being far more interested in the PLO's historic goal of "Israel's destruction" than in establishing any Palestinian state or the interests of his own people.

Further to this the book provides details of what it portrays as Arafat's effort, since the Oslo Peace Accords, to build an extensive terrorist infrastructure, together with the "failure" to disarm Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Something recounted as being simultaneous with the pursuit of a systematic effort to indoctrinate the Palestinian population (through the official Palestinian Authority media/education syllabus) with a hatred of Israel & it's people through rumour and religious zealotry. The book further details how this policy has produced what it cites as a level of violence unmatched in scope and intensity since the re-birth of the Jewish state in 1948. The book's study on these particular issues contains creditable detail, is enormously interesting and is worthy of a study all of it's own.

Crucially, this work relates that Arafat's alleged "disingenuous" approach to the "peace process" and it's culmination in terrorism and violence, is just as much a betrayal of his "own" people who he purports to defend, as it is a betrayal of his Israeli peace partner.

Whatever your views on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, this is a book without which any individual's library on the Middle East would be incomplete. Highly recommended. Thank you for your time.

In Arafat's War, Karsh offers a convincing case that Yasser Arafat does not now and never did intend to make peace with Israel. Drawing on diverse sources, many in Arabic, he explains how Arafat never abandoned violence or his dream of destroying the Jewish state. Indeed, Arafat's efforts in creating the cult of the suicide bombers and continually seeking to delegitimize Israel for his people, as well as his willingness to use violence and terror as negotiation tools have severely weakened the Palestinians credibility.

Karsh also deserves credit for sympathizing with the Palestinian people, who Arafat betrays with his self serving leadership. The author's coverage of Arafat's rejection of a state in 2000, when Israel offered him all of Gaza, 95% of the West Bank, and a shared Jerusalem is particularly thorough. What emerges here is a portrait of a man primarily interested in the advancement of his own political faction and cronies over those of his people. Karsh does an excellent job putting this in perspective as fairly standard behavior throughout the Middle East.

Unfortunately, while this book is recent, it was in the presses when recent revelations of Arafat's vast personal holdings, estimated at over $1 billion came to light. So, while Karsh can present evidence of Arafat's personal enrichment through graft and embezzlement, he missed the opportunity to give the full story. Nonetheless, Arafat's War remains a must read for any wishing to understand the conflict.

Professor Karsh is objective in his entire assessment of an evil man who has deceived the entire world, and from time to time shed crocodile tears when the "evil Jews" were murdered as a result of his henchmen.

Why does the world not realize the death and destruction the Palestinians have caused at the expense of "liberation" and "resistance to occupation?" Their history of occupying foreign nations, like Jordan, and then Lebanon have resulted in the deaths of so many innocent civilians. All of this initiated by the most famous Palestinian (still) alive.

The real shameful paradox is when the pope and then his Vatican bureaucrats decide to shake Arafat's hand after so many Christians were slaughtered in the 1970s and 1980s. More power to the idiots!

One of the most depressing things for many humans on this planet has been the fact that a few people can just sail through life by being wicked and violent. We'd like to think that after enough crimes, such people would be arrested and removed from the public scene permanently. But Arafat proves that this isn't the case, and this book shows how serious a blot it is on Mankind's record to have treated Arafat so generously.

As Karsh shows, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was correct to point out that "Arafat is the greatest obstacle to peace and stability in the Middle East." But he also shows that this is due in large part to the positive reactions Arafat's crimes have generated. People in nations all over the world, leaders included, have rewarded Arafat for the violence he's almost constantly perpetrated. This has not required any cleverness on Arafat's part: he simply commits violent acts and gets applause. If he gets caught, he gets away with it. As for what he says, that is easy too. He simply tells lies all the time. People accept some of them, or say they do. Again, when he gets caught, he gets away with it.

Arafat has been a lifelong enemy of human rights, and especially of human rights for Jews. What impressed me about this book was not how awful Arafat has been. It was how awful human civilization has been to honor him for it. It made me embarrassed to be a human being.

Of course, Arafat has taken obvious advantage of being put in control of Gaza and much of the West Bank. He's made sure that the sermons in these places are political incitement. And he's made sure that the schoolkids are all taught to hate and kill. Karsh shows the extent to which this has happened, as well as the toleration of such behavior by the world community. And Karsh also shows how Arafat has organized violent attacks on Israel. I was surprised that the bulk of the violence was unprovoked, although ridiculous excuses for it were often invented at the time or afterwards. And I was shocked by the degree to which some of these patent lies were taken seriously by world leaders. Some may feel that this merely shows Arafat's ability to deceive. I strongly disagree with such a conclusion. I think if Arafat could do it, anyone could. After all, he's never acted intelligent or trustworthy.

Well, what needs to be done? Karsh gives us all some advice. He points out the structural reforms that were needed in 1945 in Germany and Japan for them to attain freedom and democracy. And he explains that Arafat and his gang will need to be swept from power and replaced by leaders who are willing to co-exist with their neighbors.

If even a small amount of this book is true/accurate then Arafat is a pig and the peace process is really nonexistant. Gets alittle bit repetitive near the end (that's why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars), but worth reading.

Arafat's War: The Man and His Battle for Israeli Conquest
By Efraim Karsh
3.5 out of 5 stars

Although this book seems to be marketed as a biography, do not be mistaken. This book fails to delve deeply enough into Yasser Arafat's upbringing or psyche to be considered as such. Instead, Efraim Karsh's work should be principally read to understand the hostile and implacable mentality of Arafat his Fatah / Palestinian Authority colleagues towards Israel, particularly during the Oslo years and the subsequent breakout of the Second Intifadah, which Karsh more accurately dubs "Arafat's war of terror" (9).

Where this book excels is in the clarity of its argument. Karsh cogently concludes that Arafat never intended to implement a peaceful settlement with Israel in the form of the Two-State Solution but rather desired to eliminate the State of Israel, whether by violence or by the coerced implementation of the Right of Return. Despite being party to the Oslo Accords, Arafat was never willing to make the transition from revolutionary to statesman. He always maintained the use of violence as a political tool, thus violating the spirit of Oslo.

In the words of Karsh, "From the moment of his arrival in Gaza, Arafat set out to build up an extensive terrorist infrastructure in flagrant violation of the Oslo accords and in total disregard of the overriding reason he had been brought from Tunisia [his base of operations in exile], namely, to lay the groundwork for Palestinian statehood" (p. 6). Among Arafat's violations of Oslo:
- Permitting and participating in incitement against Israel
- Failure to disarm Palestinian terrorist groups, principally Hamas and Islamic Jihad
- Reconstruction of the PLO's old terrorist apparatus in the West Bank and Gaza
- Creation of a larger Palestinian police force than permitted by the agreement, turning it into a virtual army
- Acquisition and smuggling of prohibited weapons into the territories using international money earmarked for the economic benefit of the Palestinian people
- Tacit support of terrorism against Israeli civilians when not supporting it outright
- Application of mass violence to achieve political goals, primarily the establishment of a Palestinian state within the territories and ultimately over all of Israel

While Karsh's account of Arafat is forthright and illuminating, it does suffer from some conspicuous flaws. One of the principal flaws of the book is the vitriolic tone Karsh consistently employs with regards to Arafat. For example, Karsh labels Arafat a homosexual and a "congenital liar" (p. 15) and physically characterizes him as "short (5 feet 4 inches tall), chubby, soft, with bulging eyes and [a] protruding lower lip" (p. 23). Although these assertions are more than likely true, this invective seems misplaced in what is supposed to be a serious academic debate.

Furthermore, Karsh's work suffers from a lack of "evenhandedness." Take note, by evenhandedness I am not referring to "moral symmetry." Instead, what I criticize Karsh for is his virtual inability to hold Israel responsible for any of Oslo's failings. Not once does he mention Israel failing to fulfill any of Oslo's provisions. By failing to take real note of Israeli failures vis-à-vis the Palestinians or other wrongs committed by the Israeli government or its citizens (such as the 1994 Baruch Goldstein massacre in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron), Karsh once again takes away from the seriousness of this academic debate. And to me, that is quite unfortunate given the desperate need for a more dispassionate analysis of Yasser Arafat, who has been falsely lionized as a heroic resistance fighter.

In his achievement though, Karsh is able to characterize Arafat for who he really was--a self-interested extremist whose ultimate goal was not compromise, but destruction. For this reason, readers interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, who desire an account that contradicts the commonly-held and false view of Arafat as a hero and "man of peace," should read this book despite its imperfections.

The main conclusion I reached from this book: Although Israel may have violated certain provisions of the Oslo Accords, the Israeli government and the great majority of Israeli people truly believed in the spirit of the agreement. On the other hand, Arafat and his PLO compatriots calculatingly and systematically contravened provisions of the Oslo Accords because they never believed in the spirit of the agreement. Peaceful coexistence with two states side by side was not their dream. Israel's disappearance was forefront in their mind and their violent aggression corresponded to this mentality.

Far superior to many of the other fawning biographies of Abu Amar. This fascinating, well researched and very current biography was a delight to read. I liked my library edition so much that I came to Amazon to purchase my own copy.

Here is revealed fully for the first time Arafats lke war progress towards peace. As early as the 1980s some qustoned whether Arafat was a Terrorist or a 'Peacemaker'. Here we see the definitive truth. We see how while Barak was trying to give 97% of the West Bank and Gaza to the PLO, Arafat worked behind the scenes to loose Hamas bombers against Israeli civilians. We see how Arafat engineered the so-called Al Aqsa martyr attacks and how he has always wanted no peace. THis book is excellent in uncovering the turth and showing that even as Rabin and Peres worked for peace, the PLO girded for war, and even as Barak was giving in to all Arafats sopposed requests, that bombing of Israeli civilians were being planned and executed.

This book will help anyone understand the true nature of the Israeli-Palistinian conflict.

Seth J. Frantzman

It was supremely difficult to get through the book, because the outrage you feel continually overtakes you. Comparisons to Hitler fall well short, unless you imagine not one, but twenty Neville Chamberlains at work believing the lies boldly professed to the West.

The basic problem I have with such comprehensive scholarship is that Professor Karsh does not seem to have a single cogent, rational detractor among scholarly historians -- necessarily eliminating revisionist pop historians from the mix. Without a single counterpoint, without any contrary evidence, one is left to wonder why the morass was tolerated in the first place. Moreover, why it continues to be studiously ignored provides me with no rest whatsoever. To inculcate entire generations to hate a race and culture is Arafat's ultimate victory, ensuring his evil lives on, and why this isn't pointedly admitted and addressed in the West embarrasses me.

In finishing the book, I came away with a different picture of the so-called peace talks, and in light of such evidence and documentation to support Professor Karsh's thesis, I am stuck. Why, if it's all true, do the same willful denials of reality persist?

-C

This book does a fantastic job at documenting the history of terrorism emanating from Yaser Arafat and the Palestinian territories. Just as importantly, it points out that Arafat has accomplished NOTHING for his people, spent billions of international donations intended for the "refugees", and used their plight to bask in the attention of the international press and world leaders (UN,Jacques & Bubba).

Also, it chronicles the "Chairmans" excellent use of propaganda on a gullible media and President Clinton (paging the BBC, whose correspondent cried when Yaser left his compound prior to dying). One Arafat confidant said that Arafat lies in every sentence...if he didn't lie, he would apologize to you.

It's all in here. From Yaser lying about his birthplace, his involvement in the 1948 War of Independence, to his comical condemnation of terror acts, while writing the checks to homicide bombers.

Incredulously, President Clinton fell for all of this. He met with Arafat more than any other leader, pressured Israeli Prime Minister Barak into a ridiculously generous agreement at Camp David, which Arafat walked away from to launch the second (or continuous more accurately) intifada. I don't know if it's possible, but Clinton was humiliated.

Arafat stole, stole, and stole more from his people. He keels over and who do we get? Abu Mazen, Arafat crony, Holocaust denier and terrorist enabler. Don't the Palestinians deserve better?? Now, Hamas is running in local elections--and winning.

See folks, it wasn't just about (...)But rather, President Clinton's judgement, whether orally fornicating with a fat,(...)with red lipstick (with his wife and child down the hall), selling the White House to China/Macau gangsters, firing the travel office, Webster Hubbell, Waco, or inviting a terrorist into OUR White House (who insisted on bringing his pistol).

Please purchase this eye-opening book.