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Max Blumenthal

The 51 Day War: Ruin and Resistance in Gaza Hardcover – June 30, 2015

by Max Blumenthal (Author)

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On July 8, 2014, Israel launched air strikes on Hamas-controlled Gaza, followed by a ground invasion. The ensuing fifty-one days of war left more than 2,200 people dead, the vast majority of whom were Palestinian civilians, including over 500 children. During the assault, at least 10,000 homes were destroyed and, according to the United Nations, nearly 300,000 Palestinians were displaced. Max Blumenthal was in Gaza and throughout Israel–Palestine during what he argues was an entirely avoidable catastrophe. In this explosive work of intimate reportage, Blumenthal reveals the harrowing conditions and cynical deceptions that led to the ruinous war—and tells the human stories.

Blumenthal brings the battles in Gaza to life, detailing the ferocious clashes that took place when Israel's military invaded the besieged strip. He radically shifts the discussion around a number of highly contentious issues: the use of civilians as human shields by Israeli forces, the arbitrary targeting of Palestinian civilians, and the radicalization of Israeli public officials and top military personnel. Amid the rubble of Gaza's border regions, Blumenthal recorded the testimonies from scores of residents, documenting potential war crimes committed by the Israeli armed forces while carefully examining the military doctrine that led to them.

More than a chronicle of war and devastation, The 51 Day War is an urgent warning that the aftermath of the conflict has made another military assault on Gaza almost inevitable. And while the people of Gaza will once again prove their resilience, the world can no longer just stand aside and watch.

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Nation Books
Publication date

June 30, 2015
Dimensions

6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-10

156858511X
ISBN-13

978-1568585116
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] heart-wrenching narrative...Blumenthal, who was on the ground for part of the offensive, bore witness to the loss of life, shelter, and possessions—but never hope—among Gaza's Palestinian residents...The result is a harrowing, transfixing narrative of a people's ordeal that will provoke and challenge." —Publishers Weekly

"An alarming report on Israel's devastating 2014 attack on Gaza.... Explosive, pull-no-punches reporting that is certain to stir controversy." —Kirkus

“The 51 Day War lays bare some of the names, faces and experiences behind [the] statistics…Blumenthal offers an unembellished look at the misery on the ground in the Gaza Strip during Israel's Operation Protective Edge in 2014.” —In These Times

“Max Blumenthal's unflinching book on Gaza war must not be ignored…The 51-Day War is the first account by a US journalist of an assault that dropped almost the same tonnage of explosives on Gaza as that on Hiroshima.” —Electronic Intifada

“The 51 Day War is…a tribute to the resilience of a people facing an indescribable reality. ... Whether reading this book with an advanced knowledge of the history of Israel-Palestine or as an introduction to the conflict, The 51 Day War will leave you better informed and filled with an unquenchable, and very angry, thirst for justice and equality in Palestine and beyond.” —Muftah.org

"As we would expect from one of the finest and most intrepid journalists working in America today, this meticulous, first-hand report on The Fifty One Day War will stand as the definitive account of the man-made catastrophe so cruelly inflicted on the men, women and children of Gaza in the summer of 2014.” —Andrew Cockburn, author of Kill Chain: The Rise of the High Tech Assassins

"Max Blumenthal has spent the last decade transforming himself into one of the most vital voices in journalism today, always speaking truth to power with fearlessness and integrity. As with his previous books, The 51 Day War is sure to be talked about for years to come.” —Reza Aslan, author of Zealot and No god but God

"Max Blumenthal audaciously takes in-your-face, on-the-ground journalism into the realm of geopolitics.” —Juan Cole, Informed Comment, author of The New Arabs and Engaging the Muslim World

About the Author

Max Blumenthal is the author of Republican Gomorrah, a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller, and Goliath, winner of the Lannan Foundation Cultural Freedom Notable Book Award. His writing and video documentaries have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast, The Nation, The Guardian, The Independent Film Channel, The Huffington Post, Salon.com, Al Jazeera English and many others. Follow him on Twitter @maxblumenthal.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Nation Books; F First Edition (June 30, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 156858511X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1568585116
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,906,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,457 in Israel & Palestine History (Books)
- #2,946 in African Politics
- #3,666 in Middle Eastern Politics

Customer Reviews:
89 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		88%
4 star		8%
3 star		2%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Denny Cormier

Like Max I spent a good many hours at the ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2015

Verified Purchase

I was living and working in Gaza City during the 51 Day Israeli attack on Gaza in 2014. Like Max I spent a good many hours at the hospitals and in the villages and met hundreds if not thousands of people who were impacted by those attacks. The destruction in the border villages is just as Max describes it. Perhaps it may be even worse. This is certainly the best report that I have seen, and I can corroborate its accuracy and detail. I met and knew many of the Palestinians that Max interviewed, and he has recorded their stories as I heard them as well. And his descriptions of the war and its aftermath are spot on. I have recommended this book to all of my friends in the social media world, and I can definitely recommend it to anyone reading this review. Max is an accurate and detailed reporter but he also brings to reporting what some of us call the "globalized heart". I met Max in Gaza during the war - and I was honored.

21 people found this helpful

Helpful

Zoe Goorman

Shocking truth of Israel's 51-day attack on Gaza.

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2017

Verified Purchase

True reporting from the ground in Gaza of Israel's powerful military bombardment during its 51-day attack on the helpless men, women & children of Gaza who had no way to escape it.

3 people found this helpful

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John V.

Read it!

Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2017

Verified Purchase

The most detailed, researched, and well written account of the entirety of the attack on Gaza and the resistance. Max brings an overwhelming amount of information on every aspect of the tragedy, much of which is shocking even for those who might think of themselves (like me) as well informed on the Israeli-Palestinian situation. Much of the details that are elucidated in this book were not reported in the media during or after the event and so as a reader you will be in for many surprises. Thank you Max for your great work.

4 people found this helpful

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Glenn F. Tiedt

The 51 Day Assault

Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2015

Verified Purchase

This a detailed account of the 2014 assault on Gaza by the Israeli military. The Israelis had planned the assault for three years before it actually took place, and considered every person within the boundaries of Gaza to be an enemy combatant, The actions of the IDF were inexplicably destructive. I would highly recommend this book to anyone trying to understand the situation in Palestine.

2 people found this helpful

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Justin Podur

What happened in Gaza 2014?

Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2016

Verified Purchase

If you want to understand what happened in Gaza in 2014, this is a very good starting point.

3 people found this helpful

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Lauren

In the US, as opposed to Europe, we ...

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2017

Verified Purchase

In the US, as opposed to Europe, we get so little news regarding the plight of those in Gaza. This is an important read. Most in the US have little idea of the apartheid happening there.

2 people found this helpful

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Juan A. DelRio

book

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2019

Verified Purchase

great reading

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2015

Verified Purchase

great reading about a human tragedy of excess by powerful neighbors

3 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Heather

Fast delivery at a good price . Well.packaged

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2019

Verified Purchase

This book was for myself. It is very informative

Gooey

Great read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2016

Verified Purchase

Great book

One person found this helpful

Alan Friesen

Utterly depressing, but absolutely necessary

Reviewed in Canada on August 11, 2015

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First, I'd like to point out that about 45% of this book consists of footnotes. I read the Kindle edition, and once I reached 55%, the content of the book was over. This is an extremely well-researched and well-documented book.

It's difficult to put into words my thoughts on this book. It's a document of the 51-day "war" that took place in Gaza in 2014. The key takeaway from me is Israel's policy of disproportionate response--equivalent to using a nuclear bomb to kill a mosquito. Whereas thousands of people in Gaza died last year, 70% of whom were civilians, only a handful of Israelis died. The book documents civilian apartments, media towers, and shopping malls that were destroyed because... well, there was no real reason given by the Israeli government aside from "there are probably terrorists there".

On one side, the Gazans are hemmed in by Israel who routinely refuses to allow Gazans to travel out of their country. On the other is Egypt which maintains a border crossing that is frequently closed. And, on the sea, there's the Israeli navy who routinely fires upon fishing vessels who go further out than 3 miles--even though the agreement that ended the war last year stipulated that Palestinian fishermen were allowed to go 6 miles off-shore.

Drones routinely penetrate Palestinian airspace, as Blumenthal notes on more than one occasion. If Palestine sent drones over Israel, what would happen? Would they be summarily shot down? Would it be an invitation for Israel to launch more rockets into Palestine?

Blumenthal makes the comparison between Palestine and a SuperMax prison. After reading the book, I can certainly see the similarities. I read this book after I read Ilan Pappe's *The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine*, a superlative book that traces the bloody foundation of the state of Israel.

I grew up thinking that Israel was in the right, that they had the right to defend their territory--but the policy of disproportionate response, killing hundreds for every Israeli citizen that dies, transforms them from victims into perpetrators. What Israel is doing to its neighbours is no different from what... well, perhaps historical comparisons at this point are unnecessary, but after reading the book, certain comparisons spring to mind.

5 people found this helpful

Jim Miles

First hand account of Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

Reviewed in Canada on August 10, 2015

Verified Purchase

Working with both the broad historical background and first hand on the ground experience, Blumenthal presents a vivid and heart wrenching account of the 2014 attack on Gaza. This the story censored western mainstream media working with the Israeli government, a necessary read for all interested in and affected by this war, which directly or indirectly includes everyone.

5 people found this helpful

JC Rolz

This book, which reaffirms my knowledge of Israeli atrocities ...

Reviewed in Canada on December 9, 2017

Verified Purchase

This book, which reaffirms my knowledge of Israeli atrocities, has simply solidified my resolve to spend my money ethically.

One person found this helpful

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The 51 Day War: Ruin and Resistance in Gaza Hardcover – June 30, 2015

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