Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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104 of 116 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Israeli Patriotism Reaches Heroic Levels In This Book, April 29, 2003
Finally, a book written by insiders in regard to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Certainly a rare find. This book is actually a compilation of papers/essays/letters written by numerous authors all of Israeli Jewish decent. Noted authors include Uri Avnery who fought in the '48 war and served in the Knesset, Ishai Menuchin who is a Major the Israel Defense Forces reserves, Dr. Yigal Shochat who served as a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force during the War of Attrition, as well as numerous well-known and published professors of Political Science, all of whom teach at universities across Israel.The book subverts many myths about Israeli politics in the OPT, but it does not do so in a black and white manner as so many other books do. It is a critical analyses of how certain decisions by those in power are creating a threat not only to Israeli citizens within Israel proper, but also a to Israel's democracy itself. This book criticizes key flaws in Israeli politics in regard to the Palestinian issue and provides solutions in their place; rather than simply attack Israel for all it's worth. In addition to the logical, critical, thought-provoking, Jewish-perspective information this book provides, it also serves to effectively undermine anti-Semitic attitudes towards Israel. Many other books simply criticize Israel without providing alternate solutions given from Israeli Jewish perspectives.. those types of books end up in the hands of some anti-Semites who use the text (most often taken out of context) as metaphorical ammunition. This book is no such source for such idiocy. To criticize one's own government is nothing new, but to do so in such a well-articulated manner, without ostracizing 1000s of years of Jewish culture, and all the while defending democracy while putting your public reputation on the line is not only genius; it's heroic. Read this book!
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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better Title: LIFE AFTER PEACE NOW, September 25, 2002
During the late eighties to mid nineties, one of the defining political movement was "Peace Now" the broad based, umbrella groups seeking peace with the Palestinians and the surrounding Arab nations. With the assasination of Rabin, the advent of suicide/homicide bombings, the new intifada, and collapse of peace talks at Camp David and Taba, "Peace Now" is now a shadow of its former self and its not hard to meet disillusioned Israelis who once supported its goals but now want nothing to do with it.The fact was and is that "Peace Now" while broad in its heydey was very shallow in its position. Together with Meretz and Labor "doves" they sought friendship first and justice toward the Palestinians later; not realizing that that it could only be justice first and then friendship. This crucial misunderstanding defines the failure of the traditional peace groups/parties in Israel. (The fact that they scrupulously avoided ever criticized Israeli government policy.) Fortunely there still is a hard core of "peaceniks." At perhaps 20-30% of the population they are a minority, but they are a substantial minority. The groups they make up include "Gush-Shalom" the hard core "Peace Bloc" which calls for a two state solution and a sharing of Jerusalem, "Ometz Lesarev" ("Courage to Refuse") the conditional objector movement of reservists who refuse to serve in the occupied territories, Rabbis for Human Rights, B'Tselem the Palestian-Israeli human rights organization, Ta'Ayush the cooperative movement of young people of Jewish and Arabic backgrounds participating in non-violent direct action and reliefl efforts in the occupied territories, the Campaign against Home Demolitions, the Women in Black, among others. This anthology covers a generous cross section this opinion, not usually covered in the US media: from "new historian" Avi Schlaim, to veteran "muckraker" Uri Avnery, to hard hitting journalists Tanya Rheinhart and Amira Hass, to several members of the "refuser" movements. The contents of the this book will challenge many recieved notions that govern the coverage of Israel/Palestine in the US media, including the nature of the occupation, the bad faith with which Oslo was carried out, the true responsibility for the failures at Camp David and Taba. The editors strove for comprehensiveness, but I still can think of two glaring omissions: Ran HaCohen whose column "Letter from Israel" appears (and is archived) on antiwar.com, and Stephen Langfur, author of CONFESSION FROM A JERICHO JAIL, who was a precursor of the "Ometz" movement and is presently editor for Challenge Magazine, where his continuing work on the rights and conditions of Arab workers and their role in the context of globalization is quite remarkable. There is also something of a generational bias in the selection, material from Ta'ayush and Between the Lines magazine are unaccounted for. While biographies for the contributors are included in the back of the book a list of organizations and websites is not. Shame! Several other caveats, little in this book is new to anyone who is "up" on the Peace movement in Israel. Indeed most of this material is availabe online at the websites of gush-shalom, seruv.org, the Israel Committe Against Home Demolitions, globalresearch.ca. It's there if you know where to look, on the other hand its very convenient to have it all in one place. Also, the pieces in this volume are very much of the moment, hence it will of necessity become very dated, very quickly. Still for anyone who doesn't know that there is a peace movement in Israel (or worse still that it died in 2000) this book will be an an excellent starting point. Get one for yourself and another for the next person you meet how goes of on how Arafat "walked away" from "Barak's generous offer."
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102 of 127 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 Stars Is Not Enough!, July 10, 2003
"The Other Israel" is truly a gem and will probably be the best read of the year. Not only for the historic perspective given, but also for the way these writers have literally bared their souls on a subject they feel so strongly about. In today's oversimplified coverage of the Middle East conflict that we see on the media, "The Other Israel" will take you on a journey to places you've never been before, and may very well make you doubt what you once believed. These 37 essays are a contribution by Jewish novelists, historians, journalists, activists, as well as several military officers who have refused to serve in the occupied territories. All who hope that their voices will be heard around the world, and especially by their own people who, like most in America, will have their perceptions shaped by what the government tells them, what they see on the media, and often more than not, what they don't see. As a collective, the essays represent a growing discontented movement within Israel itself that questions the morality of the occupation, the mindset upon which it has endured, the terrible hardship on the Palestinian people, and the effect on Israeli society as a whole. No longer able to ignore their moral convictions, and acutely aware of the turmoil beset both sides, these writers expose the failings of the past peace processes, the myths that have been perpetuated over the years, and the apartheid conditions the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land has created. They condemn what the occupation has done to the moral fiber of their military, along with not only the price they pay as a society, but with their standing in the world community as well. None of these essays are terribly long, and some are amazingly short. But they are sophisticated in that they manage to convey complicated accounts of history along with deep personal perspectives in a relatively short amount of space due to the exquisite writing. Almost all are haunting. Some are point-blank in your face accusations and I was caught off guard, but I witnessed more in these pages then any documentary video I've seen on the subject. If these pages don't strike some deep nerve within you then nothing will. As you read, it will become apparent that these essays took much courage on the part of the writers, knowing full well that they might, at the very least, be labeled as `self hating Jews' and at the very worst, traitors by the hard right Zionist wing. The essays were written last year just falling short of the current roadmap process, but nonetheless will still give an incredible insight into what has been going on over there. Often the writings depict the internal struggle within the authors themselves. On one hand there is a great need to be part of the greater Jewish solidarity, the wish for their country to live peaceably and prosper, while on the other as one essayist points out, the anguish that comes from "knowing all this, yet crying little, and keeping quiet too often."
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