The Arab-Israeli Conflict

I use the Fraser text in my undergraduate courses because of its brevity and its ability to break down the complexity of this conflict-laden relationship into a usable fashion. Fraser also provides a uniquely and consistent British/European perspective on the crisis that the other brief texts in this field ignore. Thus, it forces my students to think beyond their American blinders and, frankly, to realize that the U.S. is not the sole power involved or the power that should be forced to accept the lion's share of blame for the Arab-Israeli conflict. For example, students are often dumbfounded to find out that it was not the US that saved Israel from an early destruction in 1948, but the Soviet Union through Czechoslovakia. They say, "but we always learned that the US was to blame for . . ." Use this book if you want a sober examination and balance in what is no doubt an intractable situation with highly-partisan perspectives.