Amazon.com: The Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People's Struggle: Ramzy Baroud, Kathleen Christison, Bill Christison, Jennifer Loewenstein: Books

Review

'Masterful prose. ... (A) scathing but heartfelt portrait.' --Norman G. Finkelstein

'Few are spared his perceptive eye, and only the morally callous will fail to respond to his pleas to act to remedy the injustice that he exposes to our view, as we surely can.' --Noam Chomsky, Professor of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

'[Baroud] presents a compelling narrative of Palestinian victimization without being defensive, and with no attempt at disguising internal shortcomings. In the same way, Baroud exposes Israeli culpability and international abrogation of responsibility with candor and uncompromising integrity.' --Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, Palestinian Legislator for the Jerusalem District

'[Baroud] enables readers to see through the distorted image provided by a biased pro-Israeli Western media of the Middle East as a whole, and of Palestine in particular.' --Ilan Pappe

Product Description

Ramzy Baroud is a veteran journalist and former producer for Al-Jazeera TV. This is his comprehensive account of the momentous events of the last five years which shaped the political landscape not only of Palestine and Israel but of the entire Middle East region. Addressing the most controversial issues, including the alarming escalation in suicide bombings, and the construction of the Separation Wall, he reports on the huge rate of unemployment and hunger in the Occupied Territories -- statistics so critical that NGOs compare their magnitude to African nations such as the Congo. From the brutality of the Israeli army to the ever-compromising nature of the Palestinian Authority, few are spared Baroud’s thoughtful critique. The book is clear and concise, with one chapter dedicated to the major events of each year, and includes a comprehensive timeline.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Pluto Press (July 20, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0745325475
ISBN-13: 978-0745325477
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #113,050 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!

Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
suicide bomber blows, assassination policy, separation wall, peace partner, illegal settlements, settlement expansion

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
West Bank, Occupied Territories, United States, Middle East, United Nations, Gaza Strip, Prime Minister, Road Map, Yasser Arafat, Camp David, Occupied East Jerusalem, Ariel Sharon, Oslo Accords, Palestinian Authority, Khan Yunis, New York, President Bush, Security Council, Bush Administration, Rachel Corrie, Tel Aviv, General Assembly, International Court of Justice, Fourth Geneva Convention, Gaza City

New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats

Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Beyond Chutzpah by Norman G. Finkelstein

Discusses:

The Iron Wall by Avi Shlaim

Discusses:

The Truth About Camp David by Clayton E. Swisher

Discusses:

The Accidental Empire by Gershom Gorenberg

Discusses:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

israel and palestine(2)

intifada(1)

middle east(1)

objective truthful(1)

occupation(1)

palestine(1)

See all 10 tags...

Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search

No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews

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

Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Walking in the other man's shoes, November 14, 2007

By	Donald R. Poling "Dr. Donald Poling" (Haines, Alaska) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For one who wishes to walk in the other man's shoes, if only for a moment, Ramzy Baroud gives a powerful story of life in present day Palestine. For those who may support Israel but want to understand the issues from all sides, Baroud serves as an insightful guide to the issues as seen and experienced by the Palestinians. For those who wish to find possible paths to peace, this is a necessary and even obligatory read.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The People's Struggle, June 10, 2007

By	Z. Aziz (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book didn't have a description so I used the one from the author's website to help other interested readers learn more about this book.

The Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People's Struggle is Ramzy Baroud's comprehensive account of the momentous events of the last five years which shaped the political landscape not only of Palestine and Israel but of the entire Middle East region. Addressing the most controversial issues, including the alarming escalation in suicide bombings, and the construction of the Separation Wall, he reports on the huge rate of unemployment and hunger in the Occupied Territories' statistics so critical that NGOs compare their magnitude to African nations such as the Congo. From the brutality of the Israeli army to the ever-compromising nature of the Palestinian Authority, few are spared Baroud�s thoughtful critique. The book is clear and concise, with one chapter dedicated to the major events of each year, and includes a comprehensive timeline.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A plea, not a chronicle, May 8, 2008

By	Nate Wright (Fort Collins, CO United States) - See all my reviews

Ramzy Baroud's "The Second Palestinian Intifada" is an impassioned argument intended for an audience that will probably never read it. Though it is subtitled, "A Chronicle of a People's Struggle", it is too thin to be a chronicle. His coverage is more or less chronological, but he is very selective in the events and themes he chooses to tackle. What is covered is only done so superficially. Nearly all of his research appears to come from the internet and his empirical data is usually only a point of departure from which he can engage in an emotional appeal for the suffering of the Palestinians under occupation. Indeed, this book should be read not as a chronicle, but as a polemic.

Broadly speaking, Baroud is pleading with the West to recognize the injustices perpetrated by Israel, their own media biases which dehumanize Palestinian victims, and the failure of liberal discourses of human rights. I tend to agree with the thrust of his arguments, but in order to concentrate his anger he fails to engage comprehensively with many aspects of the Intifada. For those familiar with the Palestinian perspective, I suspect his book will be unsatisfying - first, because it provides little detail that can't be easily recalled by those who have followed the events of the last five years and, second, because his arguments are not very thoroughly backed up.

I've treated it roughly, but the book does have some strong points. It clearly provides a Palestinian perspective of the second Intifada, both in the collective experiences of violence, betrayal, injustice and hopelessness, as well as the struggle to locate, engage and affirm a life in resistance. Baroud is eloquent when speaking on the meaning of Arafat's death. But it is unlikely that his book will be read by many who do not already agree with his positions.

The book's greatest success is its sweeping condemnation of the international community. If there is one thing this book does chronicle it is the moral poverty of international human rights regimes. Baroud's quick recourse to international law as a measurement of Israeli actions may seem politically na�ve, but I suspect it is a strategic decision he's made to juxtapose the Palestinian reality with the humanist mythology embedded in such laws. As the evidence of excess mounts and the U.N. squirms, it becomes clear that the international community is utterly incapable of acting against the U.S.'s allies. Our persistent insistence that Palestinians "follow the rules" appears only as a cruel game we play with our own sense of self-importance while others are made to suffer the results.

But these are brief highlights. In the end, Baroud only provides the most cursory introduction to the events, so he won't be very helpful to those seeking much depth. And while his polemic is forcefully and faithfully argued, the moderate, Western audience he addresses is not likely to pick up the book any time soon.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 3 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; }

Customer Discussions

Beta (What's this?)

New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.

This product's forum (0 discussions)

	Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
	No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Receive e-mail when new posts are made

Prompts for sign-in

[Cancel]

Guidelines

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
history Why does Holocaust Denial Exist?	5137	1 minute ago
politics Do you believe 9-11-01 disaster was an "Inside Job" ?	2775	2 minutes ago
politics Stimulus Watch	5	2 minutes ago
politics A GREAT day in America - Obama's rating at -8...	76	7 minutes ago
history What if Israel ceased to be. . . ?	19	17 minutes ago
palestine Has Anyone Been To Jerusalem?	12	8 days ago
middle east looking for mid-eastern recipe, help please!	9	12 days ago