Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-1999 [Import] (Hardcover)

~ Benny Morris (Author) "Of all the lands there are for dismal scenery, I think Palestine must be the prince..." (more)
Key Phrases: paratroop brigade, police fort, first truce, Gaza Strip, United States, Tel Aviv (more...)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 766 pages
• Publisher: John Murray (January 26, 2000)
• ISBN-10: 0719562228
• ISBN-13: 978-0719562228
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,380,570 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Controversial in its conclusions..., January 13, 2003

By	Stephen Armstrong (Hadley, Ma USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-2001 (Paperback)

Righteous Victims is a "revisionist" history of the Zionist-Arab conflict, so its conclusions spark terrific controversy (as you can see from the other reviews on Amazon.com!) I found this book very informative, balanced, and nuanced--a very well written analytic and descriptive history. As the NY Times reviewer said, the book's tone is "calm."

Morris had access to more Jewish and Israeli sources than Arab-Palestinian-Muslim sources, so of course critics can claim that the conclusions are "biased" in some ways. Nevertheless, at each turn in the narrative, Morris clearly describes the political, social, economic, demographic, ideological, intellectual, national, and military consequences of each "phase" or "stage" in the conflict, from "both" sides. (The conflict is far more complicated than "two" sides, however.)

No matter how one regards his conclusions, Morris's dual empathy--for a people nearly crushed under (centuries of European) anti-Semitism and Hitler, and for a dispossessed, poorly led, and impoverished people--comes clear. The book is 784 pages (counting the index) so there is ample opportunity to find something to disagree with, but the thrust and conclusions are hard to escape: security eludes Israel, which has never felt safe; and the Palestinians are citizens of nothing outside the refugee camps.

At some level, this book sadly reminded me of Yates' poem, written in WW I, "Slouching toward Bethlehem." What new beast, in this terrible time for both Israelis and Arabs, is waiting to be born?

42 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WELL WORTH YOUR TIME, December 21, 2000

By	"no1pilot99" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-1999 (Paperback)

I recently finished my master's thesis, writing about the debate between Israel's "New historians" and the traditional accepted version of the events surrounding the establishment of the State of Israel. I've read a lot of books in the past year (from both sides of the argument) but I think that Morris's "Righteous Victims" did the best job of examining ALL the evidence--even the parts that were hard to accept--and writing a conclusion that was well thought out and highly accurate.

This book is easy to read and provides a solid background from Herzl through the events of last year. It is the most comprehensive of the new historians' works, and probably also the most tame. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to understand the background of the conflict in the Middle East.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Balanced and Fair, March 30, 2005

By	Bu-Chan (Aotearoa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-2001 (Paperback)

Benny Morris has tackled a difficult subject with flair. He has avoided the extremes that an emotionally provocative subject as this usually inspires in some people. He has presented both sides of the conflict, or at least done so as good as anyone could expect, as well as pointing out the failures on both sides that have conspired to leave us with a seemingly hopeless situation today.

For anyone looking for a broad introduction into the history, causes, contributing factors and personalities of the Arab-Zionist conflict, this book is hard to go past. It is comprehensive, well-written, well-referenced and very balanced in its presentation.

Morris is a lively writer, and has struck a happy medium between detail and the need to keep on track in what is a complex subject.