Customer Reviews
Handy Reference and Introduction
...As a student of the Middle East for over a decade, I have found this book a handy reference guide.... In a struggle so personal, objectivity is always the first victim. The author is clearly pro-Israel, but that does not detract from the value of the text. Indeed, his willingness to actually admit his perspective is, in my opinion laudatory. Too many other "scholars" in this field present their opinion as if no other was legitimate.
The text covers the basic facts of the Arab Israeli conflict in a highly readable manner. Subjects like the religious histories of the parties, the basic outlines of the battles, as well as the points of disagreement are given good coverage. ... Despite the complaints, this is factually correct, supported by serious historians and military analysts around the world. Others disagree with his assessment about the origins of the Arab refugee problem, a subject that remains unsettled by historians and still engenders heated debate.
This book is not exhaustive. No single book could be. If you are interested in further reading on the subject, which is essential if you want to really educate yourself, I suggest that you also read the writings of Bernard Lewis, the dean of Middle East Scholars, The History of the Arab Israeli Wars by Chaim Herzog, a military history of the conflict used as a reference by both sides, and The Crusade Through Arab Eyes, an excellent book on the origin of Muslim views of the West.
... As I said, no work is exhaustive, but this book is a reasonably good place to start.
Excellent overview of conflict in the middle east
Having little knowledge of the history of the conflict, I was eager to learn "just what is going on over there?" I agree that this book is somewhat pro-Israel, but keeping that in mind I found it to be quite interesting. While the author does present some opinion, the vast majority of the book concerns factual events. The book starts with a short history of the three major religions involved (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), then covers events in the region throughout history. It moves generally chronologically, although it covers certain subjects in total; for example, the Iran-Iraq war is covered in a separate chapter, though events in other chapters occurred simultaneously. After finishing this book, I had a much greater understanding of why there is so much animosity in the middle east.
Truth mixed with Lies
I had been reading the 2nd edtion of this book and I learned many things I never new. For example, I was suprised to know that the Israelis informed Anwar Sadat of an assasination plot before the one that took place. I knew after the first few pages of the book that the Author was pro-Israel. I didnt mind that because there are many books out there that are pro-Palestinian.
The problem I had was when I reached the chapter on Islam. I found a quote that said the Prophet Muhammad said, in his last sermon before he died, to fight all non believers until they become Muslim. I am not even a Muslim, but I was curious to see if the man said this. I have checked every source of info. on that sermon and never did the Prophet utter such words.
Therefore, if this author cannot be trusted in a small matter like this, how can any of his information be accepted. This book will nevertheless influence many people to love JEWS and hate Arabs. I suggest another book, even if you end up reading this anyways, ARABS AND ISRAEL FOR BEGGINERS by Ron David..just to even out the biased views.
