Arabs and Israel For Beginners

Fearless Mythbreaking for the Open Minded Reviewer: from Ottawa, ON Canada For those of us raised on the prevailing myths about the Middle East, this book is a serious eye-opener. Admittedly, Israel's image is tarnished. But does criticizing US policy make me anti-Christian? No. So retracing Israeli military policy does not makes a book anti-Semitic. If you are wondering about the who,...more

Fearless Mythbreaking for the Open Minded Reviewer: from Ottawa, ON Canada For those of us raised on the prevailing myths about the Middle East, this book is a serious eye-opener. Admittedly, Israel's image is tarnished. But does criticizing US policy make me anti-Christian? No. So retracing Israeli military policy does not makes a book anti-Semitic. If you are wondering about the who, what, when, where and why of the tortuous Middle East crisis this is a great place to start. There is never a dull minute in this book. 5 out of 5 starsThe best book written on the conflict, ever. Reviewer: dackerman8 from Tel Aviv, Israel Nothing more needs to be said. This is the most concise, the most insightful, the most brilliant book ever written on the entire history of the Israeli-Arab conflict. Ron David has done nothing short of creating a work of immeasurable genius. 5 out of 5 starsCrucial reading as the West starts another Middle East war Reviewer: A reader from Oxford, Oxon United Kingdom As someone who worked as a UN-employed doctor in the Gaza Strip for two years, I have first hand experience of life under Israeli military occupation. Although this book does not cover the very recent history of the conflict between Israel and the Arabs, it is probably the best summary I have read in the forty years since I began reading books and articles about the history and politics of the Palestinian/Israeli tragedy. As the West prepares to start a second war in the Middle East, there is now open discussion within and outside Israel about the need to ethnically cleanse the territories that Israel has occupied illegally and colonized since 1967. Apologists for the policies of Israel - a nation with weapons of mass destruction, which flouts international law and ignores its responsibilities under the 4th Geneva Convention - do nothing to secure the long term future of Israelis. A common tactic used to respond to critics of Israeli policies - including Jewish critics - is to suggest that they are anti-semites! This book will help people to understand just how cheap a tactic this is. It does nothing for the image of Jews and Judaism to imply that the interests of the religion and its adherents coincide with the interests of a colonialist state created in the 20th century. For people who want to understand the expansionist nature of the Zionist project, there is no better place to start than Ron and Susan David's excellent book. I hope they publish an updated edition, and that their work does not become yet another victim of censorship and suppression of views questioning the moral credentials of Zionism.   hide