Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-2001

Rating:
Summary: Excllent work, a must read
Review: This a highly acclaimed book which has been based on declassified Israeli, Haganah, and Zionists documents written by the famous Israeli historian Benny Morris. From my prospective it is a must read and own book if you are interested in getting a detail understanding of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Rating:
Summary: Evenhanded and Thorough
Review: This well written and organized book is an effort to provide a fair narrative history of the Zionist/Israeli-Arab/Palestinian conflicts. It is based largely on secondary sources and published documents and not on any extensive archival research. As pointed out by the author, the Israeli historian Benny Morris, there is considerably more documentation available for the Zionists/Israelis. Indeed, much of what Morris can tell us about the Arab/Palestinian side comes from Zionist/Israeli sources. Morris, however, interprets material carefully and this is generally an evenhanded book.
As can be seen from prior reviews, individual reviewer reactions are influenced by prior conceptions of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I am impressed that much of the book is devoted to debunking Zionist mythology. Some examples. Many, if not all Zionist leaders, including most of the founders of the state of Israel, were aware that construction of a Zionist state would require dispossesion of the native Arab populations. The British Mandate was largely beneficial for the Zionists. In the wars of 1947-1948, the Zionists enjoyed significant advantages. While there is less written about the Arabs/Palestinians, several important themes emerge. Palestinian national consciousness is largely a result of the confrontation with Zionism. The Palestinians suffered from incredibly poor leadership. Some of the Palestinian problems, particularly their poor leadership, is a product of the fact that Palestinian society was essentially pre-modern in social and political organization. The Palestinians have been treated poorly by Arab states.
This book is particularly useful for episodes that Americans are unlikely to be familiar with. The 1973 war is described well, including the near victory of the Syrians in the north of Israel. The invasion and occupation of Lebanon, ultimately the only real defeat ever suffered by the Israeli armed forces, is very well described and analyzed.
While I think Morris is correct on broad outlines and is generally fair to both sides, I think he is wrong on some specific points. He suggests that Israeli decision makers misinterpreted Arab nation intentions prior to the 1967 war and that it was avoidable. Michael Oren's recent and very good book on this subject, published after the publication of Morris's book, emphasizes the aggressive intentions of the Arab states and the difficult but probably correct decision made by the Eshkol cabinet to initiate hostitilies. Similarly, Morris states that the US become unswervingly committed to Israel during the Kennedy administration. It is probably closer to the truth to see considerable deepening of the US commitment to Israel as a consequence of the great success in the 1967 war.
Overall, this is the best historical introduction to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and really useful for understanding the genesis of the present and very complex state of affairs.

Rating:
Summary: Evenhanded and Thorough
Review: This well written and organized book is an effort to provide a fair narrative history of the Zionist/Israeli-Arab/Palestinian conflicts. It is based largely on secondary sources and published documents and not on any extensive archival research. As pointed out by the author, the Israeli historian Benny Morris, there is considerably more documentation available for the Zionists/Israelis. Indeed, much of what Morris can tell us about the Arab/Palestinian side comes from Zionist/Israeli sources. Morris, however, interprets material carefully and this is generally an evenhanded book.
As can be seen from prior reviews, individual reviewer reactions are influenced by prior conceptions of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I am impressed that much of the book is devoted to debunking Zionist mythology. Some examples. Many, if not all Zionist leaders, including most of the founders of the state of Israel, were aware that construction of a Zionist state would require dispossesion of the native Arab populations. The British Mandate was largely beneficial for the Zionists. In the wars of 1947-1948, the Zionists enjoyed significant advantages. While there is less written about the Arabs/Palestinians, several important themes emerge. Palestinian national consciousness is largely a result of the confrontation with Zionism. The Palestinians suffered from incredibly poor leadership. Some of the Palestinian problems, particularly their poor leadership, is a product of the fact that Palestinian society was essentially pre-modern in social and political organization. The Palestinians have been treated poorly by Arab states.
This book is particularly useful for episodes that Americans are unlikely to be familiar with. The 1973 war is described well, including the near victory of the Syrians in the north of Israel. The invasion and occupation of Lebanon, ultimately the only real defeat ever suffered by the Israeli armed forces, is very well described and analyzed.
While I think Morris is correct on broad outlines and is generally fair to both sides, I think he is wrong on some specific points. He suggests that Israeli decision makers misinterpreted Arab nation intentions prior to the 1967 war and that it was avoidable. Michael Oren's recent and very good book on this subject, published after the publication of Morris's book, emphasizes the aggressive intentions of the Arab states and the difficult but probably correct decision made by the Eshkol cabinet to initiate hostitilies. Similarly, Morris states that the US become unswervingly committed to Israel during the Kennedy administration. It is probably closer to the truth to see considerable deepening of the US commitment to Israel as a consequence of the great success in the 1967 war.
Overall, this is the best historical introduction to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and really useful for understanding the genesis of the present and very complex state of affairs.

Rating:
Summary: A first-class history of the Israel-Arab conflict
Review: Thousands of books have been written on the Israeli-Arab conflict. Virtually all of these have been partisan. Here we have the first objective history covering the conflict from its 19th century inception right up to the 21st century. "Righteous Victims" is not a history of Israel nor a history of Palestine. It is a history of the conflict and it covers the subject comprehensively, objectively and with acute insight. No serious student of the Middle East can afford to ignore this book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent source of history and objective
Review: When I first read in the beginning of the book that almost all sources used were from Israeli documents--the reason was explained and seemed plausible, there are virtually no records available from other sources-- I almost put it away anticipating it would be biased. But I decided to give it a chance and I'm glad I did. It is a well documented history of Zionism, the conflict in general and was not biased at all. I disagreed with some of Morris' points. For example after recording many statements of the early Zionist's which definately showed their intent from the very beginning to transport and remove the Palestinians altogether, and claim all of Palestine as Israel based on their biblical right, he noted that there was not, as some claimed, a systematic effort to remove them. But that is what makes his work objective. After reading the book and the history given, it is up to the reader to decide for themselves what took place... I definately recommend this book for an understanding of this very complicated issue. I think Morris did a great job.