Jerusalem 1913: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

For anyone frustrated by the Israeli/Palestinian conflicts, this is a must read. This books presents the cultural and ideological differences of the Arabs and the Israelis in the historical context of the fading Ottoman empire. The book does not force one viewpoint over another but is remarkably even-handed in the telling of this story. I recommend it highly.

Marcus makes a major contribution to understanding this conflict by going back -- before the founding of the state of Israel, before the British Mandate -- to the period when the Ottoman Empire was dissolving and both Zionism and Arab nationalism were taking root. Her writing is not polemical --- but investigative --- trying to understand the context and motives of major players in these movements. Using a narrative format and focusing on several key players - Jewish, Palestinian, and Ottoman --- she rises above the usual two-dimensional portrayal of the origins of the conflict. By acknowledging multiple narratives -- hopefully she will get readers to get out of their "boxes" so that they can understand that other viewpoints are based on their experiences and not just some vaguely defined hatred. As a matter of fact, her stories about both the positive and negative daily interactions between Jews, Christians, and Muslims were some of the most interesting parts of the book. An important read for anyone interested in this topic.

This book is an effort to provide a fresh perspective on the origins of the conflict between Jews and Arabs in the Holy Land. Marcus sees the year 1913 as critical in the process. It was the year the Zionist Congress in Vienna adopted a program calling for increased settlement with the aim of becoming a majority in Palestine. It was also the year the Arab-Syrian Congress meeting in Paris determined to strongly oppose the Jewish settlement efforts. A year before the First World War , and the time when conversations between the two sides failed to bring any real agreement between them. Marcus however is interested in more than just pinpointing the origins of the conflict. She attempts to give a picture of a time before the First World War when relations between Jews and Arabs were more openly friendly than they would be later. She does this in part by telling the respective stories of three different figures, Albert Antebi a Damascaus born Jew and educator who held strongly to his identity as citizen of the Ottoman Empire, Rui Khalidi scion of an established Arab family who studied Zionist texts and intentions in order to know how to oppose them, and Arthur Ruppin the German born Jew responsible for purchasing land and building the Jewish infrastructure. These three men who knew and respected if not especially liking each other are portrayed with sympathy. She almost wonders aloud whether it all might not have worked out differently had the Young Turks not come to power in 1908 and cut off the option of a broader kind of Ottoman identity which Jews and Arabs each might have aspired to. The work is written in a somewhat nostalgic affectionate and longing tone- perhaps out of the author's search for a model of being which might transform the bitter conflict into something more palatable for both sides. I am not sure however ( I don't think she is either) that her hope of a more idyllic future era modeled on the past, makes much sense. For the Arab opposition and naysaying was there from the beginning. In this sense 1913 is not really a turning point but rather a continuation of the same with greater intensity. The subsequent years would again and again see the situation of the Jews offering peace and compromise, and the Arabs refusing this. But the kind of claim I have just made is out of keeping with Marcus' book. She is not looking to blame, but rather to understand and provide hopeful directions for correction. And there is something admirable in her searching for a time when Jews and Arabs were in friendly relations. And in her hoping that there will come a time when this friendliness will be restored, and even augmented.

In simple and deeply-felt language and details, this book, (unlike so many which purport to explore Arab/Jewish relations) asks us to go back and examine what happened in the context of history. It serves to fill a void left by so much polemics and political absoluteness concerning the crisis in Israel/Palestine and thereby transcends what have become mere cliches and easy answers to the current conflict. Accurately and full of her own personal passion for the embattled city of Jerusalem, Ms. Marcus documents early friendships between the early Jewish and Arab neighbors in old Palestine. She creates a longing for this vanished world and at the same time poses an important and largely forgotten truth: before politics divided this region, friendships, trade, and mutual respect were a natural part of Arab and Jewish life together, as neighbors, as sharers of land. Sadly, these truths are buried. Why not, in the interest of resolving and uncovering the real origins of the current conflicts, bring them back into luminous light? This beautiful book does just that, and more. It reveals the serendipitous nature of history itself, restores ambiguity and historical context to the debate. -Leora Skolkin-Smith Author, "Edges, O Israel,O Palestine"

This book examines a number of scenes and characters from the era 1898-1914 in Jerusalem and presents the argument that the roots of the present Israeli-Arab conflict or Jewish-Palestinian conflict is encapsulated in missed opportunities and rising nationalism that coalesced in 1913. It was this year when a number of interesting characters were in Jerusalem, including Albert Ente, Theodore Herzl, Arthur Ruppin and Ruhi Khalidi. The thesis of the book claims the Zionist congress in Vienna which debated the question of Jewish demographic changes and land purchases led to Arab nationalism and Khalidi's interest in Zionism educated the Arabs to awake to the rising danger. This is an interesting argument but also problematic. The Jewish population of Palestine was tiny, comparable to the Muslim population of Sweden in 2006, or smaller. That Khalidi was far-sighted may be true, it might also be true that he was alarmist and intolerant of new immigrants and thus helped fan the flames of nationalism. It is a circle, more nationalism and riots by Arabs caused more Jewish self-awareness that a peaceful pact might not be found. The strength in this book therefore is not the argument, but the well written descriptions of the characters and their backgrounds and the very fair and interesting examination of how Jerusalem felt in this period. Free from propaganda and arrogant high-falutent accusations, this book is a wonderful and quick read, enjoyable and informative. Seth J. Frantzman