Customer Reviews

Israel and the Arabs

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have read many books on this subject matter, but none convey the feelings and thoughts that the key characters in the conflict must have felt the way this book does. One can grasp the anguish Nasser went through before the '67 war, and one of the most touching parts in this book is when Prime Minister Begin tells Carter that peace must be found. I'm reading this book now for the second time, and am finding undertones that I did not see the first time around. Definitely a best buy..

This was the first book I have ever read concerning the history of the Israelis and Palestinians and I was very impressed. The book outlines the problems throughout the recent history of the region in a concise and smooth manner. I especially liked the fact that the book was co-authored by an Israeli and a Palestinian, eliminating any intentional or unintentional bias. The BBC series is also very informative but not as much so as this book, which goes into more detail concerning the histories of the two groups of peoples.

This book is based on the superb BBC series, however it is not necessary for the reader to have seen it. Bregman and El-Tahri, a jew and an arab, have produced a clear, balanced and insightful book on one of the on going conflicts of the 20th century. This book is ideal for those who continually see or read about the Israeli conflict on the news and in the papers, without actually knowing what it is all about. As an overview, it will rapidly educate the reader as to the causes of the conflict and the reasons for the solution being so elusive. At times ironically amusing, it depicts the constant back stabbing, plotting and betrayal by all sides- jewish, arab, american and russian. If this book is to be faulted it is that it doesn't go into great depth with regard to some of the personalities and events, however if it had done it would have been a much longer book. The writing style is very accessible, though somewhat bland. Also the photographs are relatively poor, and uninteresting. Thus, I recommend this book as an introduction to the Israeli conflict, rather than a complex in-depth historical work.

I've read many, many books about Middle East politics and the players involved. This book was okay, but I found it very superficial in the treatment of the people involved. One reviewer asked about the USS Liberty incident. How about the Munich Massacre and Yasser Arafat's involvement? There's very little written about exactly who Mahmoud Abbas is and his involvement in the hijacking of a cruise ship and subsequent murders of the Jewish tourists. There is, in fact, very little written regarding sins on either side of the table.

Perhaps this book is good for people who have had no other introduction to Middle East politics, but is not so good for those of us who have been well versed in it. In order to fully understand every little niggling detail regarding Middle East politics and history, one must make a concerted effort to read lots of books regarding it. But this is an excellent beginning. If you do buy or read this book, please read many other books regarding this subject.

This book is fascinating and engulfing. Most importantly, however, it is extremely illuminating. The authors usually present both the Israeli and Arab viewpoints on every important issue and decision made over the past 56 years. They paint very human pictures of the sometimes larger-than-life personalities that have shaped recent Middle Eastern history, including Yasser Arafat, Anwar Sadat, David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Rabin. The book also includes glimpses into the vital role the Soviet Union and, especially, the United States have played in the formation of the present-day region. This book should be read by people who want to look beyond the sensational and provocative headlines the region creates and take a peek at the motives behind the actions. Although this book is fairly lengthy, it is definitely a page-turner that a voracious and interested reader may find easy to read in a single sitting.

Wonderful balanced description of the middle east. Very
authoritative and dispels many common errors and intentional
misstatements floating about. A single book that provides a
detailed description of the events in the middle east.

If anyone wants to really discover the reasons for the conflict in the Middle East, they need to read this book. It's objective, well researched, and, most of all, finally provides a clear outlook from the Palestinian point of view as well as the Israeli. Written by an Israeli and an Egyptian, the book digs into the real issues dividing two people who were promised one land. The reader will finish reading the material and wonder why the BBC program wasn't touted in the US and understand why Americans are so ignorant of the facts surrounding the establishment of the state of Israel and the loss of the nation of Palestine.

Israel and the zionists would have you believe they are poor little innocent children terrorized by the mean ol arabs for no reason. This is the party line of our imperial emperor, Herr Bush and co. However, it's a bunch of crap and proven wrong throughout history. The palestinan people have a legitimate beef and this book details in great detail the various players that created the invasion of israel's arab nation by the displaced jews from the holocaust.

It focuses on how europe and the USA used Israel as a chesspiece in a deadly game of cold war foolishness that has left a legacy of confusing hatred and murder for many more centruies to come.

Do you wonder why we are in Iraq and making up false stories to justify invading Iran and Syria next?

Well, the knowledge in this book will open your eyes to some of the ulterior motives of these global players.

It reads like a history book, but the details are not listed in any american news report so this is probably the only place you will get the straight scoop on how Israel was created and why there are so many problems with this artificial state thrust upon an indigenous population of arabs.

This is an excellent, even-handed history of the modern state of Israel's relations with its Arab neighbors. It loses a star, however, for not even mentioning the USS Liberty, the US intelligence ship that was deliberately attacked by Israel during the 1967 war, killing 34 American sailors and injuring 171 others. The attack was downplayed and covered up by the Johnson administration, which saw in Israel a powerful new ally. But why do the authors of this book choose to ignore it?