The Israel-Palestine Conflict: One Hundred Years of War [Illustrated] [Paperback]

James L. Gelvin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521618045 | ISBN-13: 978-0521618045 | Publication Date: August 1, 2005

James L. Gelvin's new account of the century-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians presents a compelling, accessible and up-to-the-moment introduction for students and general readers. Placing events in the disputed area within the framework of global history, the book skillfully interweaves biographical sketches, eyewitness accounts, poetry, fiction and official documentation into its narrative, including photographs, maps and an abundance of supplementary material as well. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century in Palestine, it traces the evolution and interactions of the two communities from their first encounters up to the present conflict.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Israel-Palestine Conflict is an accessible, engaging and lucid introduction to the history of the struggle for Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Anyone who wants a clear, well-informed, fair-minded survey of the Palestine question will benefit from reading this book, but even specialists who had thought there was nothing new one could possibly say about this topic may find it of interest." Zachary Lockman, New York University

"In a brisk narrative laced with wit, Gelvin offers a fresh interpretation grounded in his rich vision of the culture of nationalism. While true believers on both sides are bound to object to the way he dismantles their most cherished myths, the uncommitted will appreciate his dispassionate approach as well as the detours from war and diplomacy to world's fairs and literature." David Commins, Dickinson College

“This is a superior work for all libraries. Highly recommended.”
Choice

"Gelvin's book, with maps, illustrations, a glossary, thumbnail biographies, and a lean, well-chosen list of suggestions for further reading, fits the genre of the academic textbook at its best....Balanced, fair, and readable, this is a fine historical synthesis." -L. Carl Brown, Foreign Affairs

"Readers will immediately be struck by the author's lively, informal presentation.... readable and thought provoking."
Middle East Journal

Book Description

James Gelvin's account of the Israel-Palestine conflict, from the first glimmerings of national consciousness among Jews and Ottoman Palestinians to the present, offers a compelling and up-to-the-moment introduction for students and general readers. It is interpretive with a thematically composed introduction, and set within the framework of global history.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521618045
• ISBN-13: 978-0521618045
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #705,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BRILLIANT and ENGAGING, September 7, 2005

By 

C. M. Stephens (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Israel-Palestine Conflict: One Hundred Years of War (Paperback)

I've read many books on the Israel/Palestine conflict (Smith, Tessler, Bickerton/Klausner, etc.) but this one is by FAR the best. First, it's actually fun to read. Gelvin writes as if he is there in the room having a conversation. The book is peppered with jokes and wry observations, and although Gelvin obviously knows his way around the academic world, there is none of the usual academic jargon. Second, most historians present history as one disconnected thing after another. Gelvin states a theme at the beginning of the book and sticks to it. For Gelvin, the conflict has had three phases: the first involved the initial encounter between two peoples (Jewish settlers and Arabs); the second began in 1948 when it was defined as an interstate "Arab-Israeli conflict" and the Palestinian question dropped off the map for most of the world (except the PLO); the third began in 1993 when Israelis and Palestinians recognized each other and brought the conflict full circle. This should be obvious, yet no one else I've read has said this directly. Also, the author keeps reminding the reader of the global context for the conflict, from the emergence of nationalism in Europe and its impact on Jews and Arabs in the nineteenth century to the impact of the end of the Cold War.
This is definitely a five star book, but I can see how it will drive some people nuts (i.e. those who can't bring themselves to use the words "Palestine" or "Palestinian" in their reviews). Zionists claim their nationalism is special, but Gelvin points out that it is pretty much a typical 19th century nationalism: it reconstructs Jewish history in its image, it insists that Jews have a right to establish a sovereign state on a piece of land they ruled thousands of years ago, etc. But all nationalisms do the same thing. What will really drive people nuts is that Gelvin shows how much Zionism and Palestinian nationalism resemble each other: both invent traditions, both claim to fulfill their peoples' national destinies, both have used terror to accomplish their goals. Gelvin doesn't let the Zionists off the hook, but he doesn't let the Palestinians off the hook either. Just read his analysis of the PLO doctrine of armed struggle or his profile of Arafat. His argument here is simple: while both national movements have a lot to answer for, if you accept the right of Jews or Palestinians to self-determination, you really can't ignore the right of the other side to self-determination either.
One small criticism: I read another book by this author (The Modern Middle East) in which he added inserts with anecdotes and stories that were related to points raised in the main text. They were a really good read, and I wish he did the same in this book.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding analysis of the roots of the Israel-Palestine question, January 13, 2006

By 

tarihci202 "tarihci202" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Israel-Palestine Conflict: One Hundred Years of War (Paperback)

Like Gelvin's other general readership work, The Modern Middle East (Oxford University Press, 2005), this is more an analytical essay than traditional textbook. In a field of study that is almost impossibly broad, this work aims to center on central themes and problems rather than a step-by-step narrative of events. More than anything else, reading this work is like sitting down with a very smart, very knowledgeable person for many cups of coffee: you learn a lot, but a lot gets breezed by as well. And the time passes quickly.

This emphasis on the "big picture" is both the book's greatest strength and its most significant weakness. Although aimed at undergraduates and a general audience, without recourse to other works, the reader may not feel that they have a sufficient grasp of chronology or of major actors. For this reason, readers may well find a basic textbook like those by Charles Smith or Mark Tessler to be of value. At the same time, what this work offers - far more than any other work that I know of - is an understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict as rooted in the very modern problem of nationalism. In a field that often gets caught up in the details or polemics, this broad approach is both engaging and intellectually provocative, offering the reader a means of seeing the Arab-Israeli conflict in a broader context than is generally offered.

Gelvin's breezy style is, at times, too dismissive and, while he argues that both Zionism and Palestinian nationalism are both modern constructions, his fundamental sympathy for the Palestinian cause is clear. This "imbalance" will, no doubt, engage some readers and annoy others. Regardless of political inclinations, however, there are few readers, either novice or specialist, who would not benefit from a careful reading of this engaging and important survey.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Historian's Historian; A Reader's Writer, December 16, 2005

By 

Avidreader (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Israel-Palestine Conflict: One Hundred Years of War (Paperback)

As an amateur historian, I appreciate it when I read a book that takes an over-exposed subject and makes it fresh. Gelvin is a superb historian and writer as well as a polymath who is entirely comfortable writing about politics, literature, international exhibitions, poetry, and world history. He uses a short story by the Jewish-Austrian writer Joseph Roth to investigate how and why European Jews turned to nationalism, archaeological evidence to describe how nationalisms like Zionism remake national histories, Palestinian poetry to elaborate the experience of exile, and biographical sketches (Theodor Herzl, Ariel Sharon, Yasir Arafat, Mahmoud Darwish) to make history come alive. His writing is fluent, witty, and never pedantic. I almost felt guilty reading a book this enjoyable about such a bloody and endless conflict.