Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A History with Documents

This book was on the syllabus of Professor Zachary Lockman's course on Israel and Palestine at Harvard, where I first learned of it. It is extremely well-documented, unbiased and comprehensive, and is also a very easy read. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is its documentation of early Zionists' use of terrorist tactics which Palestinians have more recently begun to use. Although some readers criticize the book as unbiased, it is difficult to make that claim since the book is meticulously documented and relies heavily on Israeli and historical documents and newspaper archives.

This is one of the most unbiased books out there on this subject, though i think it leans slightly towards pro-israeli. Definetly a good choice for the unbiased information on the conflict...

This is a remarkably judicious and comprehensive account of Palestinian-Israeli relations in the 20th century. Its chapters cover: the Middle East and Palestine to 1914; Ottoman society, Palestine, and the origins of Zionism, 1800-1914; World War One, Great Britain, and the peace settlements, 1914-21; Palestine between the wars: Zionism, the Palestinian Arabs, and the British mandate, 1920-39; World War Two and the creation of Israel, 1939-48; the beginning of the Arab-Israeli conflict, 1949-57; from Suez to the 1967 war, 1957-67; war and the search for peace, 1967-76; Lebanon, the West Bank, and the Camp David Accords, 1977-84; from pariah to partner: the PLO and the quest for peace, 1984-93; and finally, Israeli-Palestinian/Arab negotiations and agreements, August 1993-March 2000.Key facts, of contemporary relevance, emerge from the narrative: Ben Gurion's aggressive approach was self-defeating - the Gaza raid of 1955 and the invasion of Suez in 1956 both made Israel less secure. The joint British-French-Israeli attack on Egypt, against the will of the United Nations, was a political fiasco. In 1967, the US government encouraged Israel to attack Egypt again, at the same time advising Egypt to hold back until a diplomatic resolution was reached! The first, key, Oslo agreement of 1993 was achieved without US participation, showing that the US is more a hindrance than a help to winning peace. The Netanyahu government of 1996-99, like the present Sharon government, refused to carry out the agreements of Oslo 1, Oslo 2, the Hebron Protocol of 1997 and the Wye Memorandum of 1998. At Wye, Israel agreed not to `initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip'. As Smith notes, this was `a proviso that Israel had consistently ignored and would ignore in the future'. The Palestinians have long recognised Israel's right `to exist in peace and security', but Israeli governments have consistently refused to reciprocate. Yet the majority of both peoples want peace, and recognise each other's right `to exist in peace and security'. Both peoples must ensure that their leaders act on this understanding.

Much ink and paper has been wasted on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict by propagandists claiming to be historians, so it is a rare pleasure to actually come across a solid, objective and even-handed introductory text such as this that anyone can use to gain an insight into the root causes of this conflict. Unlike the author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Middle East Conflict", the author of this book has no personal involvement with either side, and he does not try to spin-doctor, excuse or justify the atrocities committed by either said in this long historical conflict.

"Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict" provides a concise and impartial history of Palestine, a topic which is the subject of much distortion and outright propaganda. Charles Smith, the author, relates the relevant historical facts, without judgemental commentary or extraneous information. His sources for significant facts are thoroughly documented in plentiful footnotes at the end of each chapter, which is probably why this book is often used as a text in university courses.Smith's factual and scholarly approach to such a sensitive topic contrasts sharply with that of Mitchell Bard, author of the ubiquitous, though propagandistic, "Idiot's Guide to the Middle East Conflict", which sets a new standard for one-sided apologetics. Bard has worked for AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobbying group, and one of the most effective and powerful lobbying groups in America.Some of the facts impartially reported by Smith invariably collide with popular misconceptions, which probably explains the defensive reactions reflected in some of the above polemical reviews of the book. In summary, if you want to know what events have led to the current situation in Palestine, without judgement of either side, read Smith's book.