A Concise History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict [Paperback]

Ian J. Bickerton (Author), Carla L. Klausner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0132920387 | ISBN-13: 978-0132920384 | Publication Date: October 1995 | Edition: 2nd

This text aims to provide balanced, impartial and well-illustrated coverage of the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, with a new chapter which analyzes recent events and places them in their historical context. The conclusion weighs the implications of the latest developments.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A Concise History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict is an excellent text and an indispensable addition to the study of Arab-Israeli affairs." — Caroline T. Marshall, James Madison University

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Concise yet comprehensive, this text provides balanced, impartial, well-illustrated coverage of the history of the Arab Israeli conflict.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 2nd edition (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0132920387
• ISBN-13: 978-0132920384
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,374,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ian J. Bickerton was born in Perth, Western Australia, and educated at the University of Adelaide in South Australia, where he gained his B.A. with Honors in History. He received his M.A. at Kansas State University before completing his Ph.D. at the Claremont Graduate School. He is a member of the School of History at the University of New South Wales, and has taught the history of the modern U.S.A., the history of U.S. foreign relations, and the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He has also taught at the University of California Santa Barbara, the University of Missouri at Kansas City, and he has lectured in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and Israel. His publications include A History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, Forty-Three Days: The Gulf War, Contested Spaces: The Historiography of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, and, Unintended Consequences: The United States at War (with Kenneth Hagan).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Search for Peace in the Middle East, February 22, 2000

By 

William C. Harrop (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Concise History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Paperback)

This accurate and concise chronology of events includes the texts of basic documents. It is an invaluable, in fact nearly indispensable reference for those interested in the history of Israel and relations between Israel and her Arab neighbors. Note that the Third Edition was released in 1998. A Fourth Edition covering the last two years of the Netanyahu period and the efforts at progress under Barak will be welcome indeed.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A useful, fair-minded reference., September 20, 2002

By 

David Marshall - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Concise History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Perfect Paperback)

If you want clarity, balance, and documentation on the Arab-Israeli conflict during the 20th Century, this is a very useful resource. It contains dozens of documents from both sides and the middle: the speeches of political leaders, peace treaties, letters, political declarations, UN agreements. If you want numbers -- population figures, finances, maps,-- and words from the mouths of the chief statesmen, along with a systematic if somewhat dry narrative of the political events that have shaped modern ME history, this book gives a very good overview. I have found it extermely useful in discussing the subject with friends.

If, however, you're looking for Lawrence of Arabia, as some of the reviewers below appear to have been, well, there's always Hollywood video.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most even-handed book on the conflict I've read, August 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Concise History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (4th Edition) (Paperback)

I have read a few books on the Arab-Israeli conflict (and skimmed many more), and was pleasantly surprised at this one. Most books on this subject are clearly biased one way or the other and ridden with propaganda. I found this book to be one of the few (if not the only) that was balanced and gave equal time to both sides. Neither side is potrayed as innocent victims (because neither side in this conflict is innocent), nor is either side portrayed as bloodthirsty demons. Believe me, if you've spent any time looking at books on the Arab-Israeli conflict, you will know that this is truly rare. There is an abundance of primary source material included, which many books do not provide.

Overall I found the book to indeed be concise (as the title claims), informational, and easy to read. This would be an excellent background book for anyone who knows nothing about the conflict in the Middle East and would like to learn more without being fed huge amounts of propaganda by either side. Anyone who already knows a great deal about the history of the area would probably be bored by this book, because it doesn't offer a great deal of analysis or theory, just information.