The Search for Peace in the Middle East
587439
This accurate and concise chronology of events includes the texts of basic documents. It is an invaluable, in fact nearly indispensable reference for those interested in the history of Israel and relations between Israel and  her Arab neighbors. Note that the Third Edition was released in 1998. A  Fourth Edition covering the last two years of the Netanyahu period and the  efforts at progress under Barak will be welcome indeed.
4775692
A  fine peace of history and literature. Mr. Shavit's interviews of people who have experienced all aspects of this complicated region were expecially riveting. Juxtaposing the death march of the Palestinians in 1948 with the experiences of Holocaust survivors who moved into their towns was amazing. Thank you.
1117209
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the most emotionally charged conflict in the entire specter of global conflict. Sadly, the passion and emotion of the conflict is often translated to many of the books written on the conflict. This creates books that tend to lean towards one side or the other, and in some cases have proven downright hostile to the other side. Alan Dowty in the third edition of Israel and Palestine has done something that I truly thought impossible in writing a book that is fairly balanced between the two sides.

Dowty acts as a neutral observer, standing on an imaginary line that divides the two sides. He lays out the Israeli side and Palestinian side without taking sides. Many common myths are dispelled including the myth that the conflict is centuries old, and perhaps most importantly that the conflict is unsolvable. Indeed, Israeli-Palestinian leaders have come tantalizingly close. If you want a solid book to provide the nuts and bolts of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, start here.
4085207
Brilliant !! Excellent practical solution of the Middle East Conflict. Thank you Mr Avesar ! All of us need
to be more involved in the solutions proposed.
4440273
This is a fast read, a must read for any muslim, jew or christian that wants to understand the middle east conflict from an exhilate palestinian perspective.
Tass presents the path to peace for the Israeli Palestinian conflict and it makes absolute sense.
I loved the book, which is Taas' testimony of his life, which is very powerful.
4213291
Informative and relevant for all those concerned about the illusive peace in the Middle East. I forget how many times I quoted the author and recommended this book.
3731481
This is one of several books that I have read recently in my quest for a better understanding of Israel and the politics of the middle-east. Mr. Oren does a masterful job with this book. The book will give you insight into the difficulty of being the Israeli ambassador to the US.
2267140
This book is an excellent read with a very humane approach towards the solving of the tragic Palestinian-Israeli conflict that to this day remains unsolved.  Gershon is a remarkable person in that, despite all the adversities in trying to solve this conflict, he remains determined that a solution can be found. His optimism, despite the reality of the situation and the many dents that the peace process has received leading many of us to complete despair and disillusionment, remains intact.

Gershon may appear naive in his approach to peace-making on the first impression, but he does manage to allay that impression as one reads this book. He has had more experience on a personal level talking to many members of the Palestinian Authority than most Israel negotiators have over the years. He has made personal friendships with many of the Palestinian leaders and this somehow has filled him with optimism that peace is possible. He writes about his experiences and how he became involved in peacemaking even though it is really on unofficial bases.

Gershon shows tremendous sensitivity to Palestinian suffering and at the same time is capable of being fair and understanding of the tremendous difficulties that Israel is also facing because of Palestinian terrorist activity against Israel causing loss of life and injury to innocent people. Gershon has also written much about his personal involvement in bringing the two sides to the negotiating table.

While reading this book and the various peace plan outlines he has been involved in drawing up, I somehow got the impression that he was largely ignored by the present Netanyahu Government. PM Netanyahu, despite Gershon's attempts to seek an appointment with him, was always ignored, which is a great pity.

 According to Gershon, the book is not supposed to be a history of the peace process but somehow it is from his own perspective. His ideas on a peace plan in the final chapters of the book make great sense and are really fair and reasonable. The gap to even get started on any peace negotiations is very wide as to seem to many unbridgeable. Unfortunately, today there is no peace partner on either side of the great divide between Israel and the Palestinians in order to get the peace process restarted and a stalemate remains.

This book is really an interesting read and certainly recommended to readers who are interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its solution. It is certainly a great read by a well-informed, dedicated and experienced peacemaker.
3269123
I have already got a copy of this book & this edition. I bought a second one for my grandson

This is an excellent but complex account of events that followed the Paris Peace Conference in the Hall of Mirrors, at which the creation of the various countries after WW1 was implemented following the break up of the Ottoman Empire.

The chapters covering the Sykes-Picot agreement are well drafted. The book gets more complicated after that and is heavy going. It is not the best book I have read on the politics of the middle east, but it is still worthwhile.

The USA, Britain, France and all the other countries who invaded the Middle East should read this book. It explains the background and outlines the reasons for all the current wars in Iraq, Israel and the Arab world.

Lawrence of Arabia promised the Arabs their own country after the break up of the Ottoman Empire. They now hate the west because of being betrayed by the outcome of the Treaty of Versailles. We need to address the perceived injustices that have created Al Queda.

Unfortunately, as with Northern Ireland and the Israeli-Palestine conflict the West has tried to enforce their solutions on the Arabs. I fear matters have gone too far with the cascading of conflict down the generations.

I think this may lead to WW 3 with Al Queda.
2926046
Honest and insightful. This book will make you uncomfortable.  Well worth your time if you are praying for Peace in the Middle East.
4578152
For several years, Daniel Pipes has pondered subjects like terrorism, radical Islam, anti-Semitism, the collusion of the Left and Islamists and chances for a realistic peace in the Mideast.  He is a regular contributor to Jewish World Review (subscribe - it's free!) and startles the reader with clarity and the ability to see beyond the headlines and sound bites.  Here, he takes yet another look at the future with regard to radical and moderate Islam.

Pipe journeys from the past to the present. He suggests ways of  breaking the stalemate but falters when discussing "moderate" Muslims and their ability to change the status quo. One should remember that all Muslims are fundamentalists in that they interpret the Q'ran literally and view it as a guide for modern living. There is no liberal branch of Islam like Reform Judaism or Unitarianism.  Another seemingly tabboo subject is tribalism which is at the core of many problems. The failure of modern Muslim states is directly due to the primary allegiance given to Islam and the tribe. Objections or protests are seen as disloyal at best, heretical at worst. When reality is viewed through a rigid religious or ideological prism only cosmetic changes are possible.

Compare the Holy Roman Empire and the Renaissance Europe that blossomed once the hold of the Church over every aspect of society declined.  The society questioned itself and found a new pathway.  This internal questioning has yet to occur in Islamic societies that continue to seatch the past for guidance in the future. Pipes (and most of us) envisions a future world in which tolerance is the norm.  I fear that vision is ephemeral at best.
1740999
I only recently read Tom Friedman's book. It must be remembered that the last chapter (update) was written in 1994.  Unfortunately, so much has occurred between 1994 and the present in terms of the Mideast conflict that Friedman's book is dated.  Since the writing of this volume we have seen the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin, the breakdown of peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians when PLO Chairman Arafat declined Prime Minister Barak's offer of most of the occupied territories in return for an end to the conflict, and the election of hawkish Ariel Sharon as the newest Israeli Prime Minister.
Despite the fact it is dated, Friedman has written a wonderful and useful book.  His chapters on life in Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War is both horrifying and surrealistic.  Friedman was finally able to explain to me why our marines in Lebanon became a target for bombs in the early 1980's that killed 240 of them.  The answer is that we made the mistake of siding with Christian forces against Islamic militias when we would should have remained neutral.
Friedman explains the strange position of Syria in the conflict.  Syria desires peace, but does not want to make a formal treaty with Israeli that would recognize the legitimacy of the Jewish state.  Friedman recounts little known acts of brutality by the Syrian dictator Assad (now deceased).  When certain elements in the country opposed his regime, Assad sent tanks into a city called Hama and utterly destroyed it killing over 10,000 people.
Friedman explains that many Arab states are simply the result of arbitrary lines drawn in the desert by the British and French at the end of World War I.  Such artificial boundaries impeded the formation of real countries and split up tribes and families in the process.  As a result, many of these countries are not cohesive societies.
Friedman is pessimistic about peace in the Middleast and after viewing the events of the last year or two this seems strangely prophetic.  He does say, though, that the chance exists and that USA can help move the process forward through a combination of diplomacy, behind the scenes pressure, and a willingness to bargain.
Its a terrific book.  Its well written and achieves the difficult task of holding the attention of people while simultaneously explaining the complicated dynamics of the Middleast conflict.
1143229
This is a "must read," very important book for those serious-minded foreign policy wonks.  One receives a look from ths Biblical perspective from Mike Evans about the serious situation in the Middle East, and what we must do about it.

Years from now when the history of this period is written, those of us who prayed for a just peace that includes the continued existence of the State of Israel will remember this book.

Thank you, Michael Evans for your courage.
2816844
Miko Peled followed in his father footsteps (sort of) and is pushing for peace between the Palestinians and Jews in Israel/Palestine.

He recognised that acknowledging the Truth is esential before Reconciliation can take place,

This book debunks much of the approved (false) "Narrative about the Arab Israeli conflict.

This is one book that must be on everyones readng list if they genuinely want to know the truth about Israel / Palestine.
3897065
Thanks to Professor Bidney for writing this book, A Unifying Light and highlighting the similarities between the Ibrahamic (or Abrahamic) religions. There are a lot of similarities between Jews and Muslims. In fact when I was growing up in Iraq I was told that Arabs and Jews are cousins. Jews and Arabs have Semitic cultures but unfortunately there are extremists from both Jews and Muslims that spoil it for the majority of the peaceful people which makes peace somehow impossible. Professor Bidney highlights the peaceful verses and paves the road towards peace or at least gives hope of having peace one day through shedding light on the common ground! Thanks again Professor Bidney for the good intentions. We would have a better world if everyone thinks the way you do
4217085
Does Israel abide by international law? Do the Jews have the right to a state in Palestine? Did Israel cause the Palestinian refugee problem? Is Israel overly aggressive and excessively repressive? What is the biggest obstacle to peace in the Middle East? How can the conflict end?
These are some of the questions that Alan Dershowitz, of Harvard Law School, attempts to answer in "The Case for Israel." But, first, why does this case need to be made? Mr. Dershowitz believes there is a systematic attempt to misrepresent the facts of the Middle East conflict in order to tilt public opinion in favor of the Palestinians; thus, debate in the media and (particularly) in academia is all too often biased against Israel.
So what are these facts that are being distorted? Mr. Dershowitz, for one, challenges the presumption that Jews are foreigners to Palestine. The role that other Arab countries have played in prolonging the misery of the Palestinians is another of his targets, as is the responsibility that the Palestinians bear for the failure of the two-state solution to come to fruition (the two state solution is inevitable, Mr. Dershowitz believes). The singling out of Israel for vices that it does not commit or that others commit in far greater lengths is another theme that stands out.
Rarely do books take on so widely held views so openly and directly. The referential style of the book helps the reader navigate easily; but anyone who reads it cover to cover cannot fail to notice some repetition (including the usage of the same quote multiple times). Producing a book that balances the pro-Palestinian side of the argument is a daunting task but one at which Mr. Dershowitz has succeeded admirably. This book cannot be absent from anyone's reading list on the Middle East, though newcomers to the topic might find it more rewarding than veterans of the conflict.
3160940
If you want a better understanding of why the middle east is such a mess from Libya to Yemen, this book is for you.