Arafat, Terrorist or Peacemaker?

Alan Hart, one of Englands most widely traveled foreign correspondents who focused mainly on conflicts and wars, writes a very good book. In it, you will find interviews with many of the important players in Middle East politics. He writes from the perspective of an informed journalist who clearly understands the history of the subject and the strength of the political forces operating in the Middle East and in the United States. The book is not purely "Arafat" but instead is an excellent source of history of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The many first hand interviews allows the reader to get into the minds of the leaders who have made this conflict a seemingly never ending tragedy.

Contrary to popular belief, Yasser Arafat is not the wild and psychotic terrorist as depicted by the media. Alan Hart does a spectacular job of telling the true story of Arafat's life and how he has been the lone man in reviving Palestinian identity. For those who want to hear the actual facts of the Middle East crisis, this book is a must!

Hart does an excellent job at describing the difficult task Arafat faced as the leader of the PLO. Through many interviews it seems Hart has brought both perspective views together and concluded that there is more to Arafat than the media has shown. He has described the many factions within the PLO which Arafat had risked his life to challenge. Hart shows the real Arafat, a moderate, not an extremist as he has been portrayed in the past.