Customer Reviews

A Durable Peace: Israel and Its Place Among the Nations

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This honest , well balanced and comprehensive account of the circumstances in which Israel finds itself is essential for anyone interested in the truth about the Middle East .One by one Benjamin Neyanyahu strips away the lies that have come to characterise the unjust and hostile views in the world today about Israel and the Palestinians.Taking us the the history of the country we learn how the link of the Jewish people to the Promised Land has remained strong throughout history, how there have always been Jews living in Israel and that in period between the destruction of the Temple by the Romans and the creation of the modern Zionist movement there was always a significant Jewish presence
He explains how Britain and the world agreed to a Jewish homeland in the whole of Palestine which consisted of what is today Jordan , the West Bank (Judeo and Samaria) and the rest of Israel and 80% was cut off and awarded to the Arabs in 1922 creating the Hashemite Kingdom Jordan hence already giving the Palestinians their state?
Why should Israel which only consists of 20% of mandatory Palestine be further cut in half to create a second Palestinian state and a 22nd Arab nation
It is impossible to cover all the worthwhile points illustrated in this book but we also learn how there never was a Palestinian nation and the name Palestinian was only adopted in recent decades as distinct identity among Arabs
He points out the double standards prevalent in the world today,a world which so strongly condemns the only democracy in the middle East for surviving while turning a blind eye to the horrific human rights abuses in the Arab world (and elsewhere):

'This is the root of the infamous , twisted standard by which the Arabs remain completely blameless for expelling hundreds of thousands of people -as Saudi Arabia did to its Yemenis in 1990 and Kuwait did to its Palestinians in 1991- while Israel is excoriated for deporting a cadre of terrorists or by which Israel is condemned for maintaining the presence of a few hundred soldiers in a six mile sliver of Lebanon while Syria annexes almost the entire rest of the same country ;or by which Saudi Arabia and Jordanian apartheid laws forbidding Jewish residence go unnoticed ; while Israel , whose Arab citizens are freer than those of Arab states , is accused of racism for quelling riots'

He explains how anti-Israel sentiments are a result of a wider hatred of the West and a ll it stands for like democracy , freedom and Judaeo-Christian values.While one is left with frustration at the gross injustice of the hate campaign -stronger today than ever- against Israel - he also leaves the reader with hope as he explains how Israel CAN prevail and how REAL peace can be achieved.His knowledge and straightforward presentation of the truth is a pleasure to read

Benjamin Netanyahu's book - newly updated to cover his time as Israeli Prime Minister - is the best defence in print against the anti-Israel slurs which are so widespread nowadays. With powerful prose and extensive documentation, the author demonstrates that the main obstacle to peace is and always has been the determination of Arab nationalist leaders to destroy both the sovereignty and population of the State of Israel.

Subjects discussed include Arab military attacks in 1948, 1967, and 1973; the terrorist and fascist nature of the PLO; Israel's legal and historic claims to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights, and their vital military importance; the intifada and the peace process; and the current rewriting of history to present aggressors as victims and victims as aggressors.

This book is essential for anyone interested in the Middle East, and no-one should form an opinion about this troubled region without reading it.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu compiles a history of the developments in Israel to make a clear, almost obvious, picture of the issues Israel faces in its conflicts. It is not enough that Israel has built a nation against all odds that is the sole model of a successful democracy in the Middle East; it still faces intended annihilation from fundamentalist regimes that are today unfettered by even the restraint of the old Soviet empire. Radical regimes are actively seeking nuclear weaponry to exterminate the great Zionist experiment.

The book makes an excellent reference work on the current Middle East politics. The Maps and Appendixes pinpoint the logic of the requirements to assure Israel's peace and security.

Netanyahu's writing is clear and intelligent. His perspectives are from the common soldier and citizen to the top power structures. His knowledge goes beyond the events and the people; offering clarity to differences in politics and culture and how they affect the solution to a durable peace.

While sharply analyzing the issues and Israel's successes, his most important point is that it is not enough for Israel to win militarily; they must also win politically. Israel has done poorly on this front compared to the Arab countries and the Palestinians. It probably explains Netanyahu's frequent appearances on US TV and media forums. This book successfully debunks so many of the myths of the Palestinian and Israeli issues we have come to accept as fact in much of the western press.

For those who support Israel's right to exist and want to have a commanding authority on the history and realities to assure their security, you will not find a better source.

Former Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu shows his clear and well-educated view of the Palestinian/Arab problems plaguing Israel. With pride, Netanyahu explains the history of Zionism and puts forth all of the facts and reasons why the Israelis and not the Arabs have the sole right to Palestine. After reading this I have a firmer grasp on the Israeli side of the Palestinian problem.

This is an excellent, concise history lesson, which is extremely relevant to our times. You will never be neutral again after reading this book! Thoughtful and well written for a student of history or for a layman who doesn't know how Israel first came into being. I hope Mr. Netanyahu is re-elected to the prime minister seat.

In this excellent book, Benjamin Netanyahu sets forth in concise and logical terms the reason why there cannot and should not be a sovereign Palestinian state on the West Bank and Gaza. Netanyahu is obviously a partisan of Israel but his case is built methodically on facts and reason and any fair reader will be hard pressed to refute his position.

The first part of the book is a relatively brief synopsis of the relevant parts of the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict with a special focus on the British Mandate to rebuild a national Jewish home as well as the myths and facts behind the so-called Arab refugee crisis. Netanyahu makes a clear and convincing case for the proposition that the Arab world created, enlarged, maintained and used the refugee situation as a weapon against Israel. He proves his case that the Palestinian Arabs have no moral "right" to either replace the Jewish state or to create a rump sovereign state on the West Bank and Gaza.

In the next part of the book, Netanyahu sets forth his geo-political philosophy which bears a striking resemblance to Churchillian/Reagan notions of deterrence through strength. He describes the two kinds of peace, the peace between democratic states such as today's France and Germany or the United States and Canada where security is simply not an issue and the peace between belligerent states such as exists between Israel and all its neighbors. Netanyahu points out that a nation dealing with a non-democracy can never risk its security in pursuit of a paper peace agreement. Even where a state of peace exists, a change of regime of the non-democratic state can lead to a repudiation of the treaty.

In the final part of the book, Netanyahu applies these ideas to the Israeli-Arab conflict. He is an expert on Israeli security issues and many of the things he has to say about Israel's security needs are not commonly known. For one thing, he writes of Israel's need for "strategic depth." Israel has a standing army of only 150,000 men. Thus, if attacked, she would need 2-3 days to fully mobilize her reserve forces. During these 2 or 3 days the standing army must hold the enemy at bay. If an attack came from a Palestinian state on all of the West Bank , this strategic depth would be gone. As Netanyahu argues convincingly, Israel cannot trust its security to the good will of a neighboring Palestine. This was true when the book was originally written in 1993. ....

Netanyahu does not argue for any of the radical right wing positions. Although he argues that the Arabs have no historical claim on Judea and Samaria and the Jews do, he does not advocate either expulsion or permanent Israeli military control. Instead he argues for granting the Arabs the right to control their own lives on a day to day basis and to avoid contact with Israelis if they so desire. He makes an unassailable argument, however, that Israel's security needs preclude the granting of a fully sovereign state on this territory. Unfortunately, the Arabs are not likely to accept this so continued conflict is the likely future. The book is well written and very concise. It is hard to argue with Netanyahu's logic and those not pre-disposed to reject his words will enjoy this book a great deal.

The very intelligent and articulate Benjamin Netanyahu makes a powerful case for Israel's "stand firm" policies against its enemies and detractors.

The former prime minister pointed out why, with ample historical and analytical evidence, Jews have a strong claim on their homeland, the Palestine problem as a root cause of Mideast unrest is fallacious, a pre-1967 border is not sustainable security-wise for Israel, and why the media of the West has developed a pro-Arab, pro-Palestinian stance (liberalism cum love-of-the-underdog mentality.)

Netanyahu also painstakingly explained the Arab and Islamic history culture in terms of factional (tribal) loyalty and the unfortunate, ingrained, hostility toward Jews, culminating in his model of two types of peace: peace among democracies and peace by deterrence. Netanyahu concluded, quite convincingly, that the latter was what Israel can hope for in the foreseeable future, and hence it is essential for Israel to be powerful and constantly vigilant.

Though quite hawkish in tone, Netanyahu made an impressionable point that Israel's goal is for peaceful coexistence with, and not the subjugation of, its neighbors. The return of the Sinai to Egypt in exchange for a peace treaty was cited as a powerful testimony. Also, he candidly pointed out some of the shortcomings of the Israeli policies, as well as the diversity of opinions within the Israelis.

This book is admittedly one-sided in its selection of facts and data, but they are basically factual, if skillfully put through a prism to fit the former prime minister's thesis. Overall, though, it is a very well written book - rich in material, logical in its analysis, powerful in its arguments, and witty in appropriate places to make reading interesting.

This is one of several books I have read from various angles on this complex, controversial and immensely emotional and deadly conflict. It may very well be regarded as an authoritative view from the Israeli point of view. As such, this point of view must be fully appreciated by anyone, be it career politician or armchair guru, who wants to fathom an end to this conflict.

A last word of caution: you cannot get a fair and complete picture of this conflict by reading just one book or listening to just one voice. If, however, that is all the time you have, I would recommend Thomas Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem."

A Durable Peace dispells many widely held misconceptions about the Arab-Israeli conflict and proposes guidelines for advancing toward a lasting peace.

The author provides a clear and well documented account of history, spanning back to biblical times and focusing on the twentieth century. Much emphasis is given to the ways by which contemporary misconceptions were disseminated, and why these misconceptions must be broken in order to make real progress. Netanyahu provides a careful analysis of ethical, political, social, economic, and military issues, draws logical conclusions, and presents a strong case for his approach.

While I often disagree with Binyamin Netanyahu's politics, he does a good job here making his case about Israel's unique position in the world as well as a good perspective on its history. Like many politicians, Netanyahu's tendency to over simplify complex issues into pithy quotes is occassionally irksome, but he gets his point across. In particular, Netanyahu makes good use of his experience in America to clarify many mistaken notions that some Americans hold on the Middle East.

At a basic level, Netanyahu understands how little Americans understand about the crucial georgraphy of the region. For example, most Americans do not appreciate that Israel, a tiny country is smaller than the state of New Jersey. Nor do they appreciate that Israel's territory represnets less than .004% of the total area of the Middle East.

Where Netanyahu really shines, is in his clear prose. Time and again he gives details that few people know. For example, why is it that nations like Syria, Libya, and Iran, some of the worlds worst human rights abusers can sit on the UN security council but Israel is the only nation excluded? Why does the EU bend over backwards to make nice to Arab dictators, refusing to speak ill of them, while heaping critisizm on the Middle East's only tiny democracy? You may not agree with his conclusions, but these are issues deserving of consideration.

Where this book falls down is that it does not present you with the opinions held by both sides, of course to its credit, it does not claim to. Netanyahu never pretends to be unbiased, unlike much of the anti-Israel propaganda one can read. If you want a deep understanding of the complexity of the Middle East, this book alone will not do it. However, it will give you an understanding of a crucial perspective that many people share.

Of all the books I've read about Israel and the Middle East, this is the best one yet. Netanyahu's very thorough documentation and analysis of Israel and its place among the nations reveals a keen understanding of every aspect of Israel's existence and the problems it faces, from socioeconomic to geopolitical. His detailed study of the problem of national security is a compelling and insightful one which draws the reader to the same conclusion as his own: giving up any more territory from the Golan, Gaza, or the West Bank would gravely jeopardize Israel's ability to defend itself. Netanyahu's analysis of Israel's comparative size among the Arab nations is also relevant as a factor of credibility in garnering sympathy for Israel. I highly recommend this book to any serious or casual student of middle eastern affairs.