Betrayal Of Palestine: The Story Of George Antonius [Paperback]

Susan Boyle (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0813337593 | ISBN-13: 978-0813337593 | Publication Date: January 26, 2001

This definitive biography of George Antonius tells the life story of a man who lived during a dramatic period of history, amid challenge that remains unresolved: the Palestine-Zionist conflict. Betrayal of Palestine is an important and innovative work about the continuing controversy of empire and nationalism. This book traces Antonius's contribution and ideas on nation building and good governance and resonates for contemporary seekers of peace in the Middle East. As an archaeology of ideas and meaning, the book will be of great significance for the millennium. It speaks to the paradigm of a conqueror's code, and to the ever present danger of special interests capturing public policy and corrupting good governance.By rediscovering Antonius's message about institutions and nation building, and the true meaning of morality, conscience and public service, Betrayal of Palestine speaks to contemporary people in a voice that reconnects the past with the present. The book offers hope to a region where many solutions have failed, and a reminder that the solutions have been there all along, in the people and traditions of the Middle East, but they have been obscured by a conqueror's code of empire and nationalism. It is a reminder of the genius of democracy and the power of first principles: that ordinary people are important, that power must be shared, and that society as nation transcends tribalism and its more virulent contemporary form: nationalism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Boyle has written an engrossing story about an endearing man and his life-long commitment for justice." -- Jack Shaheen

"Boyle recounts how (Antonius) introduced ideas and argued that the warrior code had been succeeded by a moral code." -- BookNews

"Enlightens the reader on the conflicting and competing actors and conditions of the Mandate period." -- Middle East Journal, July 2001

"In this sympathetic account, Boyle has done an important service to the revival of (Antonius') legacy." -- Jack Friedman, The Jerusalem Post

From the Author

Q. Why is this book relevant today?

A. To attempt to solve the Palestinian problem we have to focus on its institutions and pre-WWI origins. Antonius throws light on issues of nation and nationalism and social capital. He reminds us how diverse people lived peacefully for centuries, with trade networks crisscrossing the region, and how choices were made to promote division and destroy a nation's social capital.

Q. What's the difference between nation and nationalism and how does it concern Palestinians?

A. The two terms are not interchangeable. For example, Zionism was not a nation but a form of nationalism; Palestinians, on the other hand, were a nation. Nation refers to the age-old attachment of a people to their world of shared meaning, their homes and land. Palestinians were residents in that part of the world for centuries. Nationalism, on the other hand, is what Columbia University Professor Carlton Hayes called an artificial construction born out of the industrial revolution and state formation of 19th-century Europe.

Q. What are the prime lessons presented by your book?

A. This is not simply a crazy battle but an unfinished creation of a Palestinian nation-state where people can flourish on their own terms, safe from plunder and abuse. Some say refocus billions from military aid to refugees, water and development. To get these to work, you need state institutions as Antonius suggested. Here we are almost a century later and no real attention has focused on a Palestinian nation-state.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 373 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press (January 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813337593
• ISBN-13: 978-0813337593
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,637,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Iron clad argument as to the roots of the conflict, April 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Betrayal Of Palestine: The Story Of George Antonius (Paperback)

Susan Boyle takes the reader to the roots of the current conflict in the middle east through the story of a man central to the desires of the arabs for a peaceful existence.

A must read for anyone having anything to do with the region.