Myths and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict [Paperback]

Mitchell G. Bard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2001

For years people have been asking for a resource that provides concise, factual information on the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Myths and Facts fills this desperate need. This 464-page guide contains 26 chapters covering everything from Israel's roots to each of the wars to the "al-Aksa intifada." In addition to discussions of the historical issues and current events, the book has a collection of maps and key documents, such as the Oslo agreements and the peace treaties Israel signed with Israel and Jordan. The facts are footnoted and a wide variety of sources have been consulted, from Arabic, Hebrew and English newspapers to scholarly journals and books.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a bright, well-designed, succinctly phrased book....This new, revised, enlarged, updated, and inexpensive edition...is filled with concise historical research..." -- International Jerusalem Post, October 26, 2001

"The best way to fight myths are with facts. All the facts you'll need are in this book." -- Near East Report, November 5, 2001

"The discussions are concise yet thoroughly canvassed." -- Canadian Jewish News, October 25, 2001

"The footnoted book contains more than 100 pages of historic documents and maps, making it more useful than ever...." -- Washington Jewish Week, November 22, 2001

From the Author

"Too many people are unfamiliar with the basic history of the conflict or simply don't have concise, fact-based replies to falsehoods propagated about Middle East issues," say author Dr. Mitchell Bard, one of the country's leading experts on U.S. Middle East policy.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise; First Edition edition (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097129450X
• ISBN-13: 978-0971294509
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,603,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mitchell Bard is the Executive Director of the nonprofit American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) and a foreign policy analyst who lectures frequently on U.S.-Middle East policy. Dr. Bard is also the director of the Jewish Virtual Library, the world's most comprehensive online encyclopedia of Jewish history and culture. Dr. Bard's work has appeared in academic journals, magazines and major newspapers. He is the author of 19 books, including The Arab Lobby, Myths & Facts: Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1001 Facts Everyone Should Know About Israel (with Moshe Schwartz), The Water's Edge And Beyond: Defining the Limits to Domestic Influence on U.S. Middle East Policy, Forgotten Victims: The Abandonment of Americans in Hitler's Camps, The Complete Idiot's Guide to World War II, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict, The Complete History of the Holocaust, and The Nuremberg Trials. Dr. Bard holds a Ph.D. in political science from UCLA and a master's degree in public policy from Berkeley. He received his B.A. in economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

219 of 269 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete and current, December 10, 2001

By 

Alyssa A. Lappen (Earth) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Myths and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Paperback)

This 461-page book is set up in 25 chapters that break the Arab-Israel conflict into bite-sized easily digestible pieces, loaded with facts.

...It runs right through the current low-grade war against Israel, which Yasser Arafat planned even as he and other top-level negotiators met with Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak at Camp David in July 2000.

The volume throughout makes statements that are almost universally regarded as fact, and then proceeds to rebut them with data and history. (...)

You may hear various complaints that is a one-sided pro-Israel account. It is unquestionably pro-Israel, but not one-sided. Take the 40-page chapter on refugees, one of the highlights of this superb volume. Its 80 footnotes run for almost three pages--and 25 Arab sources include nine original Arab newspaper articles, several Arab authors and studies by Bir Zeit University.

The refugee chapter begins with the myth that one million Palestinians were expelled form Israel in 1947 through 1949, and then counters that myth with evidence including the 1949 Armistice agreement and United Nations reports of the day. In fact, the Arab census of 1945 found 1.2 million Arabs in all of Palestine, but only 809,100 within the boundaries of what became Israel. A 1949 Israeli census found 160,000 Arabs inside Israel, which meant that no more than 650,000 Palestinian Arabs could have become refugees. But the United Nations Mediator on Palestine at that time put the figure at only 472,000. Much similar material fills this rich reference.

The volume's sourcing is impeccable; All those books sited that I own, I can report first hand, are irreproachable pieces of scholarship.

In addition to the chapters on everything from Jewish settlements, Jerusalem and human rights in the territories to the arms balance, U.S. Middle East policy, the peace process and Holocaust denial, you will find complete copies of many of the major documents that govern Israel and its relationship with Arab states and the PLO entity. There is also a superb two-page list for further reading, and a full index.

Altogether, this is one of the better references on the Arab-Israel conflict to emerge in recent years. It is dispassionate, accurate, complete and current. Alyssa A. Lappen

68 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Israel Book, May 10, 2002

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Morris (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Myths and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Paperback)

Dont buy this book thinking you're getting a balanced perspective. This book tells the pro-Israel side of the story, but it does so very well. The research is meticulous and accurate, the facts overwhelming. It is not propagandish, and not hateful, rather very factual. You will be hard pressed to find a book this good representing the Arab perspective, namely one that is not hateful or filled with propaganda.

Maybe you strongly support or strongly condemn Israel, or maybe you know nothing about the Middle East, but either way if you want to know why supporters of Israel feel so strongly about what they fight for, read this book. There is so much negative PR surrounding Israel in the media, and this book will put it in perspective, and let you know why the region has fallen into its current state of affairs.

Bottom line: Even though it's not balanced, and doesnt try to be, it's still incredibly enlightening.

35 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Quick Read!, May 13, 2002

By 

Lifelong Reader "Jon" (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Myths and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Paperback)

Bard has done an excellent job coallating the information out there regarding the Middle East/ Israel conflict. He makes extensive use of quotes from historical documents and persons.
His organization of the text around common uninformed questions and statements that are often heard in contemporary American society is very helpful.

The text of this book can be found online, but the website tends to be slow. That makes this book necessary if you want a quick reference.

I recommend getting this book as a great starter into the whole issue. It will point you onward to many other more exhaustive resources if you take time to meander through the extensive footnotes. I also highly recommend his "Complete Idiot's Guide to the Middle East" for it's slightly more in depth treatment of the issue and entertaining presentment.