Genesis: Truman, American Jews, and the Origins of the Arab/Israeli Conflict Kindle Edition

This book is an excellent overview of a century of Zionism and its implications for the Palestinians with an emphasis on the origin of the modern state of Israel during the Truman presidency. This helps to put into perspective the seemingly intractable modern problems between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The afterward describing the parallels between Truman's response to Zionist political pressure (e.g. going against his moral convictions on the issue and caving into political pressure) and Obama's similar choices during his administration are painfully accurate.
Americans are directly militarily, financially, politically, and therefore morally responsible for Israel's actions which makes reading this book a good way to be a responsible U.S. citizen. The book is well written, well researched and documented, and very current.

Genesis is a thoroughly research book with a very timely perspective. I highly recommend it.

Enlightening and fair.Judis is a national treasure.

An unusual thing happened to me as I got toward the end of this book- I became a supporter of the creation of the state of Israel. I even read it through twice to get it right. When I was younger back in the 70’s and 80’s, I was a supporter of Israel. It wasn't until the 90’s and beyond that I became skeptical of Israel’s recognition. That was when I became aware of the Jewish American Lobby and their influence on the USA’s support for Israel. I also eventually became an avid reader of history and non-fiction. I never really understood what the circumstances were that made the creation of Israel possible except for the obvious- the Holocaust. I was looking for a book that told the story but I wanted it written by a non-Jew, written by someone with a more objective narrative on the history of Israel’s creation. The author, John B. Judis, is Jewish, but based on the title and its description I thought this book would tell me about the aspects I was interested in and then justify my skepticism.

What I began to realize, as I got deeper into the book was that the Jews took advantage of a brief moment in history when they could actually pull this off. It may not have been totally ethical but most of history is not ethical. You have to give them credit: through the determination, passion, guile, and chutzpah if you will- of Jews in America and around the world-- they pulled this off. They did the unbelievable and got the United Nations to make a declaration recognizing their country. Not only did the USA and its allies sign onto this agreement but Russia, China and the majority of others did also. You cannot change that.

What did the Arabs do throughout this process- not much. The book details their failure. They were no match for the abilities of the Jews in swaying public opinion and influencing world politics. Most of the time the Arab countries undermined each other’s efforts in stopping this from happening. That is what got me thinking and changed my mind. That and fast forward to today where Arab genocidal sectarian hatred for each other is destroying them from within. History is not pretty and it is not fair, but it is what it is and this book tells you all the raw details.

At the end of the book, the author goes into some persuasive arguments for the Palestinians and their cause. You have to have a cold heart not to have sympathy for them. Nevertheless, the Islamic society is not ready for prime time. They have not come of age as a people. I do not think that now is a time where they can be trusted to live peacefully. Israel will continue to occupy more of Palestine until Arabs stop sending rockets at Israel, stop killing each other, and in general prove they can be trusted. Muslims cannot continue to believe in martyrdom or peace will never happen. The Islamic countries failed to effectively make their case to the world from the very beginning...they need to realize this and move on. I believe History will be on the side of Israel.

I read the book and then read the one and two star ratings critical of the book. One low rating claims the book leaves out the British White Paper issued in the late 1930s limiting jewish immigration. It does not leave out that paper and gives the reason for the paper, the British were worried about the Arabs siding with Hitler who had come to power in Germany. Another low rating says the author is not a Middle East historian. True, but like a historian the author does cite his sources. I noticed the people writing the low ratings seldom say where his facts are wrong. Is he wrong in claiming the Zionists ignored the rights of the Arabs already there? Is he wrong in claiming the Zionists hid the fact they wanted a Jewish State that would require the Arabs move, but early on told political leaders all they wanted was a home?

I recommend reading a variety of books on this subject that tell both sides of the story, from authors that cite their sources, rather than only reading what confirms an existing belief. I gave the five star rating for that reason and not because I believe this is the only possible way the story could have been written.

5 stars would mean that I LOVE IT. No, I don't, like myself, love books.

Nonetheless, everyone who thinks that they know about the origins of the Arab/Israel conflict or the roots of Zionism should pick up a copy of this great historical account.

Extremely well written and documented account of the origins and continuing problems of the Israeli-Palestinean conflict. Harry Truman has always been my favorite 20th century president, but he dropped (or punted) the ball on this one for purely political reasons.

A lot of information that gives insight into American involvement in the Arab/Israeli conflict. Want to know why we are there in the first place, read the book. May not agree with the politics, but be informed.