The New Intifada: Resisting Israel's Apartheid

The articles included in this book include a wide range of subjects, from the Right of Return for Palestinian Refugees, to personal stories of Palestinians, to U.S. complicity of Israel's occupation, dispossession and general oppression of the Palestinians. I'd recommend people read this and also other books on the subject -- and then get involved to stop the atrocities. The Palestinians remain on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which is merely 22% of historical Palestine. Israel is on 78% of what was Palestine, and is refusing to give up the 22%. The U.S. government gives more foreign aid to Israel than to any other country in the world. Thus, people in the U.S. have a responsibility to do something. Inform yourself. Start here.

As an American citizen who has been living in Israel since before the 2nd Intifada began, I found this book to be both accurate and insightful. Probably the most important information to be found in this book is the actual maps used in the various Oslo Peace agreements, from Camp David to Taba. These are the maps never shown to either the US or Israeli public. The maps of the "generous" land offers given to the Palestinians. The maps by themselves explain why Arafat had to reject the offer and why the Israeli occupation of Palestine is referred to as apartheid. In addition, other details that were never fully disclosed in the general public include continued full Israeli control over water resources, electric and phone service, and economic expansion. Settlements were to remain along with the system of newly constructed highways (off-limits to Palestinians) which connect the settlements and completely surround all Palestinian controlled areas. My only disappointment with the book is that I thought there could have been more about the Arab citizens living in Israel. There is one interview with Azmi Bishara, the Arab Knesset MK who is facing trial for exercising his freedom of speech, yet a lot has happened inside Israel since the 2nd Intifada began. The 2nd Intifada has significantly affected relations between Arabs and Jews living inside Israel. It has directly affected unemployment among Arabs and detrimentally affected the economic conditions in Arab Israeli towns and villages. I would have liked to see more about how nothing has happened to the police who killed 13 Arab citizens and wounded hundreds during demonstrations. How hundreds of Arabs were put in jail, including many kids as young as 14, and held without charges while very few Jews were put in jail for firebombing mosques, throwing rocks, and beating Arabs. It would be enlightening, at least for American readers, to see how "democracy" in Israel really works depending on whether you are Jewish or Arab.

This is an important book, especially in the United States where the full story of events in the Middle East is lacking. Powerful essays pack this book; they are well-documented, clear, and represent real events mostly left untold in the U.S. If you really want a better understanding of what is happening on the Palestinian side of this issue AND helps explain how those events feed "anti-western" or "anti-U.S." opinions in the Middle East. The essays are fair, and you see that maybe what is at issue in this part of the world is injustice, not some inherent hatred of Jews, the West, and the United States. Read this book. Everyone should read this book.

As this book succesfully demonstrates: Israel's treatment of the Palestinians has always presented a moral problem to the West, as that treatment has violated every law and moral standard on the books. Some 750,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes in 1948-1949, and since then scores of thousands more have been pushed out by force, their houses demolished or taken over by Israeli Jews (not Israeli Arabs). Under the supposed "peace process" following the signing of the Oslo Agreement in September 1993, a UN Special Report of November 13, 2000, says that "In the past seven years...Israel's confiscation of Palestinian land and construction of settlements and bypass roads for Jewish settlers has accelerated dramatically in breach of Security Council Resolution 242 and of provisions of the Oslo agreements requiring both parties to respect 'the territorial integrity and unity of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.' Since 1993 the settler population in the West Bank and Gaza has doubled to 200,000 and increased to 170,000 in East Jerusalem." The report also describes and condemns the demolitions of Palestinian houses, the diversion of water to Israeli cities and settlements, the policy of closures that has damaged Palestinian social and economic life, and the "widespread violation of their [Palestinian] economic, social and cultural rights" both within Israel and in the occupied territories. It also assails Israel's use of excessive force against Palestinians and hundreds of Intifada killings, "most of them unarmed demonstrators." The settlements have been made in territory outside of Israel, technically "occupied" by Israel and subject to international law that clearly prohibits dispossession and settlement by the "belligerent occupying power" (the Palestinians are "protected persons" under the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949; violations of that Convention, including dispossession and settlements, are "war crimes"). This systematic violation of international law has been going on for several decades, just as the creation of new "facts on the ground" in brazen violation of Article 31(7) of Oslo has proceeded since 1993, but as the United States does not object, and in fact has supported these law and agreement violations by massive economic and military aid, and by vetoing any hostile UN actions (it has used the veto an estimated 60 times to give Israeli ethnic cleansing and law violations free play), international law is inoperative.

(...) This book is specifically designed to address very topical issues, such as: the causes of the latest uprising against Israeli occupation, what the situation in Palestinian land has been since the uprising began, whether or not the American media has been objective in its reporting of events, what actually happened during the negotiations between Barak and Arafat at Camp David, etc. Detailed maps of what exactly was offered at Camp David are provided - something that you never see in the general, mainstream media. Why do I give this book five stars? Because it reveals many things that it is simply not possible to learn from reading the NY Times, Washington Post, etc., and because it is very well presented - both well argued and complete. The descriptions of what life is like in the occupied territories is quite stunning, not at all what I was expecting. It is also quite shocking to see what it is that was offered by Barak at Camp David - and what the media so gratiously refer to as a "generous offer." It may very well have been the best offer ever, but it was still a far cry from adequate - a literal swiss cheese, full of holes. And on that point, there are some very objective and scientific studies that explain why it is that so many people refer to the American media as biased.The arguments made are very strong and very convincing. The book brings together writers of varied backgrounds - Jews, Arabs, and westerners. It may not as some people have correctly pointed out be a complete account of what the entire history of this very old conflict, but that wasn't the point of this book. Its purpose is to address the New Intifada, and it does it extremely well.