12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best resource on the Arab-Israeli conflict, November 9, 2004
This review is from: The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Complete History of the Struggle and the Efforts to Resolve It (Routledge Historical Atlases) (Paperback)
This little volume is one of the best books ever written on the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is almost all maps.
The book starts with some maps that show the ancient borders of Israel. That allows the reader to see what borders Diaspora Jews associated with the word "Israel." And in fact, one can see where in this region Jews tried to settle after being expelled from Spain and elsewhere near the end of the fifteenth century.
Next it shows the places where Jews began settling starting with the advent of modern Zionism in around 1880. I found this part fascinating. The book explains that the Jews purchased their land from Turks and Arabs at high prices. Given that, one can see the hypocrisy of Arabs complaining that the Jews stole their land, and that the land ought to be given to those who were the majority in 1880. Even more interesting, Jews were easily the majority in what is now "East Jerusalem" in 1880, but very few Arabs would want to assign that land to Israel today: more likely they would complain that the place is being "judaized!"
The book continues past World War 1, showing proposed boundaries of the region where Jewish settlement would be permitted and encouraged, promises made by Britain in order to acquire the Mandate over the area. As we discover, Britain broke these promises to the Jews and to the international community, after Arab aggression against the Jews in 1920, 1921, 1929, and 1936-1939. Gilbert is to be commended for giving a detailed accounting of the violence.
The maps continue with great effect, showing all of Israel's wars and battles with Arab terrorism, along with borders suggested by various peace plans, right through Camp David and Taba in 2000.
There are a few omissions in this book. The most serious is simply leaving out the entire Jewish revolt against the British and their perfidious White Paper of 1939. We don't see the routes of boats like the Patria or even the Exodus. The omission is all the more serious given Gilbert's background in both British and Jewish history. Of course, strictly speaking, these incidents were part of a conflict between Jews and British, not Jews and Arabs, but I think they are an integral part of the overall picture.
Finally, a few maps are a little silly, such as showing the travels of US Secretaries of State Baker and Christopher in the Middle East in the early 1990s.
Nevertheless, all in all, it is a wonderful resource and I highly recommend it.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible Resource About the Arab-Israeli Conflict, January 4, 2004
The Arab-Israeli conflict is a fiercely debated topic with numerous accusations constantly being thrown back and forth. For someone just beginning to study the Arab-Israeli conflict, it can be overwhelming. This book is a collection of maps drafted by a professional cartographer to show the real dimensions of treaties, ceasefires, boycotts, and other historical moments in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Would you like to know exactly which land the Oslo Agreements included?
Would you like to know which parts of the Middle East belonged to biblical Israel?
Would you like to know which parts of Britain's Palestine Mandate they forbid Jews to dwell or buy land on?
This resource can answer all those question and more graphically showing you the exact boundaries of, countries involved in, and other important aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict. I particularly found this resource helpful in disputing allegations by people that "such-and such a percentage" of the land was to be given up in a treaty such as the original U.N. plan for Palestine or under the Oslo Agreements. After showing my fellow debater the actual maps, the arguments were ended since I was in possession of hard fact thanks to this fine reference book.
Sir Martin Gilbert is a well-acclaimed British scholar, who has written numerous titles in the Historical Atlas series, extensively written about the Arab-Israeli conflict, and was also officially appointed to write the biography of Sir Winston Churchill.
I have reviewed the 1984 Fourth Edition, but several editions have since come out with updated information and additional maps to reflect more recent developments. I recommend getting the most recent edition available.
I highly recommend this outstanding resource for anyone studying the Arab-Israeli conflict, whether pro-Arab or pro-Israeli.
Review by: Maximillian Ben Hanan
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excelent Visual Reference, August 11, 2005
This review is from: The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Complete History of the Struggle and the Efforts to Resolve It (Routledge Historical Atlases) (Paperback)
I have been reading different books on the Arab-Israeli conflict and I found this book very helpful in visualizing not only maps but also key dates in the history of this conflict.
I highly recommend this book as an additional reference for better understanding this conflict that continues to affect our world.
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