Gaza: A History Reprint Edition

by Jean-Pierre Filiu (Author)

11 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0190623081

ISBN-10: 019062308X

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Gaza has become synonymous with conflict and dispute. Though only slightly larger than Omaha, Nebraska, at 140 square miles, the small territory of Gaza has been a hot spot for bitter disputes between sparring powers for millennia, from the Ancient Egyptians up until the British Empire and even today.

Wedged between the Negev and Sinai deserts on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other, Gaza was contested by the Pharaohs, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Fatimids, Mamluks, Crusaders, and Ottomans. Then in 1948, 200,000 people sought refuge in Gaza - a marginal area neither Israel nor Egypt wanted. It is here that Palestinian nationalism grew and sprouted into a dream of statehood, a journey much filled with strife.

Though small in size, Gaza's history is nothing short of monumental. Jean-Pierre Filiu's Gaza is the first complete history of the territory in any language. Beginning with the Hyksos in 18th century BC, Filiu takes readers through modern times and the ongoing disputes of the region, ending with what may be in store for the future.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This history ranks as a masterpiece in the literature of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It tells the facts, explains both sides of the coin and leaves readers to draw their conclusions. [...] An excellent but sobering book."

--Michael Sheridan, The Sunday Times

"Jean-Pierre Filiu's authoritative and well-sourced history of Gaza from earliest times to the end of 2011 fills a serious gap. Even those who know Gaza well will find much in this book to enlighten them."

--The Independent

"Jean-Pierre Filiu tells the story of Gaza's modern political history in impressive detail."

--David Shulman, New York Review of Books

"Superbly researched and well written, Filiu's work is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand contemporary affairs in the Middle East and the relationship between the state of Israel and the Palestinian people."

--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"In this thoroughly researched, comprehensive, and deftly written historical account of the Gaza Strip beginning with the Hyksos from 18th century BCE and extending to the present, Filiu... has arguably written the best book on Gaza's history. He shows the historical intricacies between
political and military developments and how such processes have shaped the Arab-Israeli conflict. [...] A must read for students and scholars of the modern Middle East, and anyone who wants to understand Palestinian history."

--Choice

About the Author

Jean-Pierre Filiu is Professor of Middle East Studies, Sciences Po, Paris; author of The Arab Revolution: Ten Lessons from the Democratic Uprising (OUP 2011), and From Deep State to Islamic State: The Arab Counter-Revolution and its Jihadi Legacy (OUP 2015).

Product details

Publisher : Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (January 1, 2017)
Language: : English
Paperback : 440 pages
ISBN-10 : 019062308X
ISBN-13 : 978-0190623081
Item Weight : 1.5 pounds
Dimensions : 9 x 1.1 x 6.1 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,671,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,751 in Middle Eastern History (Books)
- #4,187 in Israel & Palestine History (Books)
- #5,780 in International Relations (Books)

Customer Reviews:
11 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		55%
4 star		17%
3 star		15%
2 star		6%
1 star		6%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Jim

Gaza: A Modern History - Understand the background of today's Gaza conflict

Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2018

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Gaza: A History should be entitled Gaza: A Modern History. The book dispenses with ancient history of more than 2,000 years is a few pages. I was hoping for more as Gaza and the region around it were an important region for the Philistines, part of the ancient Sea Peoples, who invaded the area, were beaten back by Egypt and settled in the area around Gaza in five major cities, contending with the Israelites through the period of the Judges through the Kings of Israel and Judah and disappearing following their deportation by Mesopotamian powers. That said, the book quickly brings the reader to the more recent historical period and Mr. Filiu certainly provides an excellent and detailed modern history of the political movements, contests, and struggles, with most, but not all of the focus on the interaction with Egypt, Britain, Israel, Jordan, and Syria. Mr. Filiu clearly had great access to people and gives the reader a superb almost blow-by-blow account of the changing personalities, families, influences, and organizations along with their views, strategies, and temporary alliances in the struggle for their own view of the entity that Gaza should become, whether tied to Egypt or Jordan, separate, communist, nationalist, religious, but always Palestinian. The book ends in 2012 so an update is needed since the situation in Gaza has, and continues to change, in the present. While at times a depressing read, it is a necessity if one wants to delve beyond the headlines to understand more about the current conflict in Gaza.

One person found this helpful

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Fahmi

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2017

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Good history of Gaza

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Menteb

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2015

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Must read

7 people found this helpful

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R.L.D.

Important book

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2018

An excellent long range history of Gaza over many millennia---although emphasis on more modern times. As with everything else nowadays, cries of "Fake News" and bias are easy replies. FACTS are not biased, but interpretations are. I found this book to be high on facts and low on biased interpretations. We live in a world where the "news" is so controlled by far-right and pro-Israel, that books such as this one are flipped aside by those that haven't even READ it.

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Docger

his description of Israel's responses to terror is demeaned and described as a really bad thing while totally ignoring what lead

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2014

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A historical review starting with pre-biblical times which is brief. The main focus is on the present conflict and is written from a Palestinian view point. Although there is an attempt by the author to be objective, his description of Israel's responses to terror is demeaned and described as a really bad thing while totally ignoring what lead up to the response. It does describe the conflict between Palestinian factions but the bias is obvious.

If you want an objective historical account and it's relationship to the broader middle east, this is not the book for you.

One person found this helpful

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Dena/Daniel Bugel-Shunra

This book ought to be read together with Ramzy Baroud's ...

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2014

This book ought to be read together with Ramzy Baroud's "My Father was a Freedom Fighter", for the personal dimension of life in Gaza from 1948 until the end of last century.

11 people found this helpful

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Doug Cornelius

Only if you really want to know about Gaza

Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2014

Great history books put events in context, bring the historical figures to life, and let you know why those events and figures are important. The worst history books are rote recitals of names, dates and events.

I picked up an advance review copy of Gaza, by Jean-Pierre Filiu, hoping it would give me some insight into how we got to the current cycle of violence in the region. It does provide some of that.

Gaza sits at the intersection of Egypt and the Levant. Armies and empires crossed back and forth across the region for millennia. The current plight came during the creation of Israel. Palestinian refugees piled into the area around Gaza City and Israel herded the mass of those expelled in 1948. As Egypt and Israel fought in the area, the Gaza Strip was left relatively untouched.

The Gaza problem could have been prevented in 1949, Ben Gurion’s offer to annex the Gaza Strip as part of Israel was rejected by Egypt at the Lusanne conference. Instead, we have seen three generation of terrorism and oppression.

Unfortunately, Gaza is not a great history book. It falls closer to the other end of the spectrum. The recital of events gets particularly tiresome as the book approaches the last twenty years. The cycle of attacks from Gaza and escalating reprisals from Israel are repetitive. It could be twenty years ago or last month, similar events continue.

4 people found this helpful

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Abe Krieger

A Jew Hater's History of Gaza

Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2014

I knew what I was getting when I saw this book in the library: A French Arabist's "history" of Gaza and its wars with Israel. And that's what this is. Our author manages to tell us whether the civilian killed by Israel was a baby or a infant but we are not told any details of Israel civilian dead. Bad, bad Jews, good, good Palestinians. Yawn, been there, read that. I didn't finish this book but I doubt I missed any surprises.

9 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Joyce

Highly Recommended

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 11, 2014

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This book gives a full account of history from 1,000 years up to the present and if you are interested in learning the roots of the present conflict it is a must read.

The Old Git

Read and Learn

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2015

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A book that puts the present situation in to perspective

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