Rating: 
Summary: Simply the best book available on this topic
Review: If you're going to purchase a single work on this topic, make sure it's this book. It is a must read for anyone and everyone who's interested in the Arab-Israeli conflict. It's simple enough for even an uninformed reader to easily grasp, while maintaining the thoroughness to make it a must read for highly knowledgeable readers. Smith's book is by far the best work available, by any comparisons. It's detailed, accurate, and defines the word "unbiased" in this topic. Learn the facts here, and develop your own opinion. All experts I've known would recommend this book above all others without any hesitation. It's that good.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, objective introductory text
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Book
Review: Palestine and the Arab Israeli Conflict" by CD Smith. THIS IS THE
BEST BOOK ON THE CONFLICT I HAVE EVER READ>>>>It is highly detailed and written as a middle of the road book. It does not favor one group over the other. I do disagree with the person who wrote the review giving it a one star. It has famous documents included in every chapter to include, Colonial agreements, UN Resolutions, Peace Agreements and even speeches by men like Gamal Abdel Nasser, Yassir Arafat, Itzakh Shamir and Theordore Herzl. This is very nicely constructed. It is written on a Sr. High School level but very scholarly. This book was used in an Honors Course of my history department. If you are looking for professional writing this is it and will enlighten you beyond your wildest dreams. This book will give you a leg up on anyone with a personal opinion (not an informed opinion). When everyones arsenal of facts run out you will still be running strong as a result of what you learned in this book. After you
Rating: 
Summary: Well documented, though not unbiased
Review: Smith's book is well documented and well written. However, it falls down as it continually condemns Zionist and later Israeli actions with little mention of Arab activities. A major case in point is the frequent use of the term "Palestinian rage" in reaction to Israeli incursions in and occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Nothing is mentioned about any "Israeli rage" after such actions as the murder of the olympic athletes in Munich in 1972. Arab rage is apparently fomented every time Israel beats them in a war (perhaps they should stop trying to fight Israel?), but the result of an Israeli loss would be the total destruction of the nation (as well as a likely repeat holocaust for the jews there). Smith does not acknowledge this state of affairs.
Unfortunately, I have not found a truly balanced book on this subject. Always one side decrying the other. If you know of one, please post...
Rating: 
Summary: Actually, it's almost balanced.
Review: Smith's book provides good detail on plenty of issues and benefits from attempting to be balanced even if he tends to blame Israel more for problems , especially in the last 30 years. Essentially, Smith tries to give the flavor of how each side sees events, rather than doing all the interpretation for you. While more entrtaining, David Fromkin's 'A Peace to End all Peace' in no way treats the Palestinians as having legitimate interests, while Noam Chomsky's books have no empathy for the Israeli position. Another author with a fairly balanced perspective is Itamar Rabinovich.
Rating: 
Summary: Heavily biased against Palestine
Review: There is good information here, unfortunately it only presents one side of the story. Israel is also guilty of a lot of problems that do not even get a mention here. There are two sides to every story, and this biased book does not accomplish covering both.
Rating:
Summary: A confused and incomplete account
Review: This book is simply not the best available on the subject. It starts out too far back in history, and makes its way too slowly to the modern. More significantly, it is too one-sided: Israeli actions against Arabs are highlighted, while Arab actions against Israelis are not. One does not need to be an ardent Zionist to see this. Smith simply assignes too much of the blame to one side. Furthermore, he doesn't really understand the role of the international system in constraining the events and leaders within the states in question. Still, it is not a total loss. New students to the subject will certainly learn a lot, and it may come in useful as a reference guide as it is packed with information.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, unbiased and well-documented overview
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Superb history of Israel/Palestine relations
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Most Unbiased Out There
Review: 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...
|
