From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict Over Palestine

Though Peters is ruthlessly partisan in her selection of source material, she raises incredibly important questions about the often overlooked issues of Arab in-migration during the British Mandate and rather than merely limiting the focus to just Palestinian refugees, she widens the view to all refugees in the twentieth century and demonstrates that for very political reasons the Arabs of Palestine who were refugees after the 1948 War of Independence were not handled in the same way that nearly every other group was, namely resettlement and assimilation.Her work has some flaws, to be sure, but nearly every book on this subject that attempts thoughtful analysis is going to suffer to some extent from the author's personal bias. What is remarkable is that she started the book very clearly on one side of the issue and, after her research, she had come a full 180 degrees to the opposite perspective.I rate it highly because it asks questions no one seems to be addressing and points out facts and observations that no one seems to be talking about....

It's a bumpy ride through the wealth of information that Joan Peters presents.Whatever you thought you knew about the Arab-Israel conflict, this book will tell you that there is lots more to learn.Peters has done incredible research. Her sources are extensive.Because she dislodges many sacrosanct theories, a campaign long has been underway to discredit "From Time Immemorial." So I was interested to know what a Harvard Ph.D candidate in Middle Eastern Studies would say about it. I asked. His response: "Excellent."Read it and learn.

My own research into the Middle East over many years gave rise to considerable concern that vast numbers of people were being deceived over the Palestinian refugee problem. It was obvious to me that many 'untruths' and 'inflated figures' were being branded around by the Arab world in order to promote their stance over the Palestinian issue. I had searched for a book that would concentrate on the original historical facts upon which the issue is based and not on propaganda from either side in the conflict. This is that book. Ironically the author was originally employed by the Arab world to investigate the matter on their behalf. However, the facts speak for themselves and the Arab world have since predictably sought to denigrate the author wherever possible. However, to avoid any bias, the facts are there, together with their sources, for anyone honest enough who wishes to research the matter for themselves. I am not Jewish or Arab, and just wish that the public at large were for once, provided with the true facts about this matter. This book should be re-published immediately in view of the current Middle East crisis. Perhaps the politicians involved would do well to access the facts themselves. Thank you all for your time.

For a controversial polemic, this is a pretty tame and well-documented attempt to clear up some misconceptions that are surprisingly prevalent about the Arab-Jewish conflict. Some of the material is speculative, but it is well worth reading for those who like to draw their own conclusions. Few books do as good a job as this one of explaining why so many Jews and Arabs in the Middle East are so upset both with each other and with some of the people who have attempted to act as mediators in their dispute. "From Time Immemorial" contains a great deal of useful reference material for those interested in the Arab-Jewish conflict. It's interesting and thought-provoking. I sincerely recommend it.