故国曾在：我的巴勒斯坦人生

by Sari Nusseibeh, Anthony David (Contributor), 萨里·努赛贝

人类最可怕的悲剧之一，就是过度沉迷于自己的悲剧而忘记对其他人的好奇，忘记去了解其他人经历过的悲剧；尤其是面对仇敌的时候，我们有没有能力去理解他们的生活呢? 本书的作者萨里·努赛贝正是一个葆有这种好奇心的人。

萨里·努赛贝出身于历史悠久的阿拉伯家族，他记忆中的巴勒斯坦曾是多种文化共存的祥和之地，然而随着两次世界大战的余波与数次中东战争，这一地区成为暴力与割裂的代名词。巴以冲突是如何源起与演变的?为何国际社会多次斡旋都无果而终?巴勒斯坦的年轻人如何看待国家的未来?作为历史的亲历者，萨里讲述自己与家族的爱憎沉浮，以及巴勒斯坦人的艰难求存；他的人生也是巴勒斯坦历史的缩影。从一心治学到游走于巴以政权之间促成和谈，他的经历颇为戏剧性，曾被巴勒斯坦人斥为“叛徒”,又被以色列当局抓入监狱。

中东冲突很难找到“中间立场”,萨里可谓在夹缝中生存，但他始终坚持和平与共情。在犹太人的苦难已经广为人知的今天，探索巴勒斯坦人的视角或许可以令我们对中东问题，甚至是更为宏大复杂的问题，形成更完整全面的认知。

Genres: History, Middle East, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Politics, Israel

640 pages, Hardcover

Published July 1, 2024

About the author

Sari Nusseibeh (Arabic: سري نسيبة‎)is a Palestinian professor of philosophy and president of the Al-Quds University in Jerusalem. Until December 2002 he was the representative of the Palestinian National Authority in Jerusalem.

Nusseibeh was born to the politician Anwar Nusseibeh who was a distinguished statesman, prominent in Palestinian and (after 1948) Palestinian-Jordanian politics and diplomacy, and Nuzha Al Ghussein, who descended from Palestine's wealthy landed aristocracy and is the daughter of Palestinian political leader Yaqub al-Ghusayn. Nusseibeh studied philosophy at Christ Church, Oxford and has a Ph.D. in Islamic Philosophy, from Harvard University (1978).

He returned to the West Bank in 1978 to teach at Birzeit University (where he remained as Professor of Philosophy until the University was closed from 1988 to 1990 during the First Intifada). At the same time, he taught classes in Islamic philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Through the early 1980s, he helped to organize the teachers' union at Birzeit, and served three terms as president of the union of faculty and staff there. Nusseibeh is also co-founder of the Federation of Employees in the Education Sector for the entire West Bank.

The Nusseibeh family are trustees, according to tradition, for the key to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Nusseibeh was an important leader during the First Intifada, authoring the Palestinian Declaration of Principles and working to strengthen the Fatah movement in the Occupied Territories; Nusseibeh helped to author the "inside" Palestinians' declaration of independence issued in the first intifada, and to create the 200 political committees and 28 technical committees that were intended to as an embryonic infrastructure for a future Palestinian administration .

Internationally, Nusseibeh is a member of the McGill Middle East Program's Executive and Management Committees. In November 2007, following the publication of Once Upon a Country: A Palestinian Life he travelled to Montreal, Canada to lecture on the MMEP and his vision of peace.

Reviews

[Yair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sari Nusseibeh's work is a grand one; while not without its flaws it is still a testament to the tireless endeavors of those for peace against those for war.

Much like Mr. Nusseibeh I was born in Jerusalem. And, again, similar to Sari, I was raised with many stories about my people's integral and indelible connection to the city and the land. But unlike the Arab Muslim Nusseibeh I was born an Israeli Jew. And of course my stories were much more tinged with my people's narrative, that of the Jewish people rising from the ashes and ignominy of exile and Holocaust to reclaim our ancestral homeland. For the longest time I just accepted what I had heard from my father, my brothers, and most who agreed with them, as received fact.

But life isn't so simple. I don't pretend that Mr. Nusseibeh is without agenda. And I also don't pretend that his sympathies don't, even if only by pure knee-jerk instinct, rest more with his than with mine. But Mr. Nusseibeh wants peace and seems to mean it. I can't denigrate anyone for wanting that, not seriously.

Overall this is an informative primer to and for those with little to no knowledge of the Israel/Palestine conflict. Nusseibeh posits, overall, that two state solution with borders based on the results of 1967 war is the best possible resolution. I'm inclined to agree. I'm inclined to agree despite religious, nationalistic, cultural, and political screeching (on every side for every reason) to the contrary.

In the end I'm reminded of a line from James Jones' World War II "The Thin Red Line", specifically from the cynical character Lieutenant Welsh, "property property, it's all about property,". If it has to be about dirt and we have to share it, which we do, then, to quote every half-competent kindergarten teacher the world over, we'll have to learn and share and grow up.

[Scriptor Ignotus · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging, and at times stirring, memoir of post-1948 Palestinian political and social life from a man who saw much of it up close through numerous lenses: as a scion of one of Jerusalem’s great patrician families, the Nusseibehs, who traced their residency in the city to the time of Umar, the second Caliph; as a professor, campus activist, and later as a university president; as a journalist-cum-polemicist and clandestine operative during the First Intifada, giving voice to its aspirations and steering it away from violence; as an informal diplomat; as a would-be state builder, helping design a shadow government that served as a guide for the negotiators at Madrid; as a humanist gadfly, articulating the necessity of education, critical thinking, and good-faith engagement with Israeli interlocutors for the achievement and viability of Palestinian freedom—all while facing down threats (and in one case, physical assault) from the fundamentalist factions that would ultimately coalesce around Hamas: factions, Nusseibeh repeatedly notes, which the Israeli government never seemed nearly as interested in suppressing as the peaceful, secular activists for equal rights and dignity who represented the predominant Palestinian political forces for most of this history; as a political prisoner, spending 90 days in “administrative detention” without charge in 1991, likely for working with the Israeli anti-occupation group Peace Now (Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Nusseibeh was leading a spy ring for Saddam Hussein!); and as the Palestinian National Authority’s representative in Jerusalem.

Not only an intimate history of the Palestinian experience through decades of war, occupation, and apartheid, it is also the story of Nusseibeh’s personal development as both a thinker and an activist, engaging with the humanities, classical Islamic philosophy (especially Ibn Sina and al-Farabi), and great literature to elaborate on the nature of personal and political freedom; testing his ideas, and those of his students, in the “laboratory” of a real, life-and-death struggle against oppression. Nusseibeh movingly describes how the fundamental human concerns addressed by a typical humanities education—freedom, justice, dignity, citizenship, war, peace—took on a much more immediate and visceral significance for his students—facing death, imprisonment, exile, and the daily deprivations and humiliations of life as members of a subordinate caste—than they ever could for a typical American or European student. The conditions of life imposed upon them by a system of domination that denies their humanity has made the recognition of this humanity, by themselves and others, an object of heroic struggle for Palestinians of all varieties; a dream rather than a fact of life which many people take for granted.

A touching and illuminating read for those looking to personalize their understanding of the Palestinian plight.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, but was somewhat disappointed. I like Nusseibeh, and it clear from the book that he has worked tirelessly to try to find a peaceful resolution between the Israelis and Palestinians. I admire him for that and for keeping hope in a situation that appears hopeless. The problem is that his book just isn't very good. It is disjointed and choppy. He often doesn't give enough background or information to help someone who does not live in those countries understand what he is discussing. More character development would have helped me understand the players and their motivations a little better and would have given the book more emotional impact. I read it because I wanted to understand the Israeli/Palestinian conflict from the perspective of a Palestinian. I think the book did help me with this, although it was more difficult --even tedious--than it had to be.

I do think this conflict would end quickly if there were more reasonable people like Nusseibeh on both sides. I hope for that in the future.

[Sivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skipped 100 pages of this book and it was still too long. Nonetheless, Nusseibeh provides great insight into Palestinian life, struggle, and politics. You will probably need to know a little background Israeli/Palestinian history to get something out of the book.

I think Nusseibeh has an interesting voice, but I can't tell if I liked it. He was a bit repetitive, which is why I thought it was too long. Like we get it, you never really wanted to get into politics, didn't enjoy engaging in your family's salon conversations, and you are constantly rubbing your worry beads.

Still though, Nusseibeh led a pretty interesting life in terms of his role with the Al-Quds University and the Palestinian Authority.

As you can see, I keep teeter-tottering my review, which is why this is 3 stars.

I think Nusseibeh offers valuable insight into the Palestinian world, but you can certainly skim and only read about the eras that interest you. Overall, I basically agree with Nusseibeh's final proposed peace plan.

[Tariq Mahmood · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's my first book on the struggle for Palestine and boy was I happy with my decision. Sari has really demonstrated a dignified and courageous approach to freedom struggle. I particularly enjoyed his analogies of the most acrimonious dispute in the world. I also gained a great understanding of the regional politics between Israeli, Hamas and Fatah. If only there were more statesmen like Sari the Arab world would be so much better. I found the book the world very engaging and deeply insightful, filled with one liners and anecdotes. My only criticism is at times the author seems slightly vain glorious. He seemed to know every Israeli move in advance and pointed out every flaw in PLO, almost too intuitively. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't, but parts of the book seem like a self appraisal to me at least in the true Middle Eastern fashion.

[Benjamin · Rating 2 out of 5]

His descriptions of his childhood in pre 1967 Jerusalem were interesting as a period piece, and the guy's obviously a talented writer with stories to tell. I was unimpressed, however, with his historical analyses. He omits anything that reflects badly on the Palestinians, who are always just, and the Israelis are always in the wrong.

His view of Abu Jihad was laughable and either intellectually dishonest or overly naive. He claims Abu Jihad was a gentleman and basically never inflicted harm on anyone. But the next page he would recount how, anytime anyone tried to intimidate the author, Abu Jihad would quickly step in and the intimidators would immediately back down. I wonder why that was?

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like this book has done more to help me understand the heart of the issues in the Holy Land than anything else I have been exposed to. He is uniquely involved, and is indeed a very important voice. On the logical level of debate, his ideas ring true in my ears. On the philosophical level of the human experience, his arguments resonate with me as well. If you have any interest in the human experience at all, you really must read this book. Thank you to my Goodreads friend, Elisa, for recommending it.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book from my perspective as a supporter of Israel, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Nusseibeh establishes himself as a decent and thoughtful observer of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. On the whole, I'd say it's a relatively balanced view, although his recollection of specific incidents should be buttressed by further reading for the curious. For example, his account of the 1967 war is subtly flawed. He writes that Egypt's blockade of the Straits of Tiran "was for Israel, an act of war"; by law, though, it is an act of war. His recounting of how Jordan became involved in the war is correct in several respects (e.g., King Hussein's reluctance to become involved) but he also gave me the impression that Jordanian soldiers were firing potshots at Israel, when they in fact launched 6,000 shells at Jewish Jerusalem.

Later on, he cites the Mohammad Al-Dura incident as an article of faith, although as a result Philippe Karsenty's recent successful appeal regarding the France 2 camera footage, that incident was almost certainly staged. To be fair, though, the book was published before this judgement was handed down, although he could have at least acknowledged the ongoing controversy surrounding this incident.

In the grander scheme of things, Nusseibeh deserves credit for his courage and his willingness to challenge the Palestinian establishment's sacred cows, like the right of return.

If the book has one major flaw, it's that Nusseibeh doesn't connect the failures of Palestinian society with the failures of Islamic societies as a whole. Even if you believe that everything he writes concerning the history of the region is gospel, it does not entirely explain the Palestinian predicament. One might believe that suicide bombing is the product of "hopelessness", but then how do you explain 9/11, or Bali? There's more than just despair at the root of this phenomenon. Nusseibeh can't quite bring himself to make this leap, although there are times in the book when I thought he might.

In the end, it's still a worthwhile read, and one that hopefully inspires people to read more about the Middle East.

[Sagheer Afzal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author is from a prominent family who had lived in Jerusalem for more than a thousand years and was deeply affected by the events of 1948. He provides a personal history of his youth in the City and his studies abroad. Throughout we are reminded that some facts can be viewed from differing perspectives and lead us to alternative conclusions. Not that he falls back on the old argument that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. What Nusseibeh does is to emphasize those facts that support his contention that the majority of Palestinians are peace loving people like himself who just want a normal life and he omits or downplays many of those facts that go against this narrative. Similarly while acknowledging the factions within Israeli society that seek a peaceful resolution, the Israeli government is always the villain no matter which party is in charge.

The author is rather even handed when identifying those responsible for the endless circle of violence and the failure of the multiple attempts to bring a lasting peace. He notes the often disingenuous approach of the Israeli politicians to any peace process but also the inability of those Palestinians in power - notably Arafat - to take advantage of the situations that have been presented . (And so the observation by Abba Eban that the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. This does seem a little unfair as on many occasions there may have been only the illusion of an opportunity.) The Israeli government is always painted as mean and devious and the Palestinians are simple, gullible and duped despite having a number of well educated people on their team including the author himself, Hanan Ashrawi, Saeb Erekat and many others.

Nusseibeh generally has a broad perspective on the conflict. He has worked with and praises peace activists on both sides and blames the intransigence on what he sees as the radical and violent minority within the Palestinian population and the aggressive tactics of the settlers and their supporters in the Israeli government. His ideas for peaceful coexistence are noble and rational but are overwhelmed by the vitriolic machinations of those on both sides for whom it is a desperate battle to annihilate the enemy at all costs.

Of course this is a tragic story. Despite knowing the continuing situation of conflict as it stands today (March 2019) with no signs of it ending, as I read about the various peace conferences and rounds of negotiation I kept hoping that one of those attempts to reconcile the two sides would conclude successfully.

Finally, although Nusseibeh writes about his interaction with Palestinians from all walks of life and social strata the book comes across as a viewpoint of an intellectual from a privileged family. It is difficult to determine if his ideas would ever be acceptable to those who suffer the daily indignities of the occupation to say nothing of those whose family members have been tortured or killed. His thoughts and actions are laudable but it is clear that without a willingness of a majority of Palestinians to go along with him and a strong leadership to mobilize them in a concerted effort to achieve a just peace through non-violent means the Israeli contention that there is no entity to deal with will continue to provide justification for their program of expansion, repression and segregation.

I would have liked to hear Sari's honest answer to the question of whether Palestine should have always been a part of Jordan. This is of crucial importance, because people too often neglect that the Mandate (and in particular the area around the Jordan river) was indeed promised to 2 peoples by the British, but the Arabs did get a part of it, when the Kingdom of Jordan was created. Its ruler was a Hashemite king, a totally acceptable ruler for the Arabs of Palestine. And indeed, many of them moved to Jordan and considered themselves Jordanians in Judea and Samaria and in Jerusalem.
In conclusion, this book is a brilliant insight into the manifold reasons why peace can never be attained in the holy city. Sari Nusseibeh towers in this book as though he were a force of nature. Eloquent and erudite, nobody deserves the epithet of intellectual more than Sari. Eschewing a life of comfort and ease for his homeland, seemingly glad to suffer the indignities of jail and work tirelessly with ilk such as the venal, self-serving Arafat, all for the homeland.

Reading this book you realise that peace can never be achieved because those in pulpits and political offices have realised that peace and harmony are best confined in textbooks because their realisation does not enrichen them. Discord and strife serve their ends much better. An impoverished angry man is a far more useful tool than an intelligent and dignified man such as Sari. His insights are pithy and profound. My favourite one is his analogy of why peace can never be achieved.

'The Arab simply wants to defend his land to feel at home whereas the Jewish man feels the need to keep expanding his land to feel at home'

The reasons for this maybe myriad. But ultimately the cause is a familiar. Indoctrination as opposed to education. Using terror to promote reciprocal terror. Demonising the enemy and ideating him as evil incarnate in the minds of your people and then feeding that demon through your own action thus creating a cast iron stereotype.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by Palestinian peace activist Sari Nusseibeh, this book is an immensely readable personal and political memoir - an account of a life lived in a "broken and violated land." Descendant of a patrician family in Jerusalem, tracing its history back to the seventh century, the author was educated in England and, following in his father's footsteps, devoted his years to advocating reason and nonviolence in the resolution of Arab-Israeli conflicts. A student and later a professor of philosophy, he first believed that Arabs and Israelis could live together as citizens of a single nation. Then, after the 1967 war, he came to the conclusion that a two-nation solution was in the best interests of both peoples.

Over the years, in his account, he has watched both of those objectives resisted and undermined by the objectives of those with political power - the Israelis through a campaign of seizing territory in the West Bank for Jewish settlements, and the PLO by demanding the return of all occupied lands. Meanwhile, moderates such as himself are cast as "dangerous," and his efforts at building bridges between Arabs and Jews are often frustrated. When the intifada of the 1980s flares up, Nusseibeh plays a strategic role in secretly writing and publishing materials that provide it with a voice and direction, channeling the energy of street demonstrations away from violence. And he is instrumental in building a nation-building organization to set the stage for Arafat's return from exile in Tunis to govern the West Bank and Gaza. At the same time, he is reaching out to peace activists among Israelis, even while the second intifada surges to life and Arab extremists begin to have a deadly impact with suicide bombs.

The entire story - which brings us to the present with the building of Sharon's walls and the victory of Hamas in Palestinian elections - is a continuing account of hopes raised and then crushed. While it can be read as an indictment of Israeli policies against the Palestinians, it portrays the PLO as ridden with corruption and the Islamist Hamas organization as blindly and dangerously irrational. Moved deeply by visions of Jeffersonian democracy, Nusseibeh is confronted over and again with the extreme difficulty of seeing reason prevail in the service of government, diplomacy, and building social institutions. What he falls back on at the end is a belief that the fundamental decency of humans - as reflected in sacred scriptures - will eventually lead people to see the folly of their ways. This is a fine book for portraying a moderate and measured history of the Arab-Israeli conflict from 1948 to the present. Readers may also enjoy Jeffrey Goldberg's "Prisoners: A Muslim and a Jew Across the Middle East Divide."

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very useful book for Americans who want to see the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through Palestinian eyes. Nusseibeh is not perhaps your typical Palestinian activist--he fully acknowledges the right of Israel to exist, is in favor of Western-style democratic institutions, and is forcefully and consistently anti-violence. He describes himself as the dreamy academic type (he is a professor of philosophy in Jerusalem) but has been drawn into Palestinian politics since early adulthood. His father was a prominent Palestinian diplomat.

I don't agree in some significant ways with Nusseibeh's interpretations of key historical events. The Israelis went on a big land grab in 1948? Um--what about the part where the Arabs attacked the newly created state in that year, refusing to accept the UN plan that gave both Palestinians and Jews a state? Yes, the Israelis did claim some new land in that conflict, as often happens in a war--in this case a war not of their own making. Similarly, in 1967, the Israelis should have somehow known that the five Arab armies that were massing to attack Israel were just "grandstanding." Hm. But despite my objections here and elsewhere, I found myself incredibly moved by this book. When so much has gone wrong--when there is so much hatred on both sides--it's incredible that one man refuses to quit fighting for Israeli-Palestian cooperation and peacemaking, in big ways and small (Nusseibeh was one of the figures behind the creation of a Palestian-Israeli version of Sesame Street that aired for some years.)

This book is something of a companion volume to Amos Oz's amazing A Tale of Love and Darkness--in fact, the Israeli Oz and Nusseibeh are friends and were born in the same year. You won't get the literary and emotional experience you get from Oz here--this is more of a workaday narrative. But it's well worth reading. Nusseibeh seems an unusually admirable political actor and man.

[Sarah Lameche · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book about Palestine that really delves into the reasons as to why certain groups came into power. Sari certainly doesn't shy away from the truth and it makes a refreshing change to read about where BOTH sides made mistakes. Many of the books I have read regarding Palestine are written about the effect the occupation has had on that person and sometimes their family too. This book is rather different in that though his family life is touched on, it's more about the politics of the region. Don't get me wrong, it's an extremely interesting book. In fact though other books were more moving this book really made me feel like I understood more of why certain things did (or didn't) happen. The Occupation could have and should have been over a long time ago. Choices were made from both sides that prevented this from happening. However that doesn't mean that it can never happen. Yet only once lessons are learned and more importantly once the outside world steps in to stop this atrocity continuing, rather than averting our eyes.

[Don Gubler · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I learn more I am astounded at the depravity of the Zionist regime. How can a people who have suffered so much be so egregiously ruthless, cruel and brutally inhumane to people who have no sin except to have been living in a land they decided they want. What exactly gives them the right to uproot, kill, and systematically deprive a people of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? I am deeply saddened for a people who in many ways are so magnificent. Dr. Nusseibeh is an extraordinary person who has worked fearlessly and tirelessly to resolve the issues. Why can't we get it and turn out those who purposefully destroy peace and freedom? I pray fervently for the Palestinian people and hope they can be respected and given the peace and freedom they deserve.

[Baljit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sari presents a frank account of his life in Palestine, his philosophy, his role as an activist and politician. Despite the breakdown in peace talks over and over again, he remains ever hopeful that Israel and Palestine will achieve a two state resolution. What is amazing is the way Sari challenges fellow Palestinians to think differently. Palestine certainly could do with more thinkers like him.

[Fazackerly Toast · Rating 3 out of 5]

a really useful informative educational book, especially for an ignoramus like me, who knows so little about the Palestinian situation and how it got to the state it is in today. I marvel at Nusseibeh, his courage, integrity, sanity, determination and patience.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

以巴的故事自20世紀起就變得白熱化，一戰後英國失信的諾言到二戰後聯合國託管等等，讀過歷史科的人都記得。史實歸史實，落到真實生活的巴勒斯坦人是怎樣的呢？作者是個樂觀的巴勒斯坦穆斯林知識分子，家裡有本錢供他到英國讀書，成為大學學者，故而偶爾可代表巴勒斯坦在外開會，但他本人其實不怎麼想沾政治。努賽貝的敘事引人入勝，連序約580頁（不計註、索引和參考書目），香港講法就是「枕頭書」頗為「趕客」，但我依然希望有意認識這方面的人讀這本書，也許看畢你不一定贊同他的非暴力主張，但你會為他的文字而同呼吸、屏息幾十小時，真切感受到巴勒斯坦人的處境（我想這本書怎麼樣也不是一天讀得完）。譯者何雨珈的譯筆相當自然上乘，連英文一些諺語都可譯作普通話押韻（fools rush in where angels fear to tread 這句英文本來不押她都押上了，至於她怎麼譯，留待你找出來，哈哈！）。

[Elona · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was the first non-fiction book I read in a while and I really enjoyed holding the hardcopy book and reading more about the history of the region from a source with so much memory of the events.

some of the passages that struck me:

"Freedom is not some innate quality stamped on our foreheads like a product bar code; nor is it something external like a particular passport or the right amount of money on the bank. Freedom is an expression of the will, and the amount you have of it, is in direct proportion to your mastery of your fear and egotism. By exercising the will, the individual carves out a distinct identity. [...] like an individual, a nation has to forget its identity through constant acts of the will."

"Islam's message to Man is that he's on his won; he can no longer count on miracles or divine revelation or the deus ex machina. [...] The time had come for Man to throw off the training wheels and look to Reason for future deliverance."

"Thinking and fear go together. The secret is not to stop fearing: it is to learn how to live with it."

"Violence was therefore the key. Israel often used violence as a tactical step to provoke a violent reaction, which it then used as an excuse for further violence in pursuit of its political end. [...] keeping focus on the guerrillas provided the perfect cover for preventing a functioning government from developing in the West Bank. The was against PLO 'monsters' permitted a permanent state of emergency. All civil dissent within the Occupied Territory was therefore cast as an extension of the international terrorist war of extermination against the Jewish state."

"Often it seemed that the Israeli military occupation fought terror only to promote it, because their real enemies were moderates. [...] there arose a strategy of blaming moderates for the acts of extremists, crushing the moderates, and leaving the extremists intact-just in case they needed them as an excuse to smash the next crop of moderates in the future."

[Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkable book. The collaborated autobiography of a Palestinian Arab born around 1949 whose family have been aristocrats of Jerusalem for 1300 years. Sari is very much a moderate and with Oxford and Harvard degrees exposes the extremists on both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict as being the problem in the way of a settlement. He sees two independent states, each with capitals in Jerusalem, as inevitable and the hardliners have delayed this process by twenty years. The Palestinians have to give up the right to return and in return Israel has to give them their own state. He is a professor of philosophy trained to demolish fixed ideas at Oxford with an interest in how Arab philosophy underlay the REnaissance. He has been dragged into political life at times but is happiest in his role as President of the Arab University in Jerusalem which he did much to create. The extraordinary life of a remarkable man and long may he survive to moderate.

[Elana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought Nusseibeh's perspective was fascinating and insightful, but I really objected to his re-legitimation of the prison industrial complex in several different places, but especially in his reflection from within an Israeli prison that "'Prison is not for us... It is for thieves and murderers and drug addicts and smugglers, just not for the honest student and the businessman, the father and mother whose only crime is to fight for their freedom.'" (334)

One of Nusseibeh's points that I appreciated most was his analysis on p207
"Often it seemed that the Israeli military occupation fought terror only to promote it, because their real enemies were moderates - such as Mubarak Awad or the mayors. There arose a strategy of blaming moderates fo rthe acts of extremists, crushing the moderates, and leaving the extremists intact - just in case they needed them as an excuse to smash the next crop of moderates in the future."

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, next is the Israeli writer Amos Oz, mentioned many times by Nusseibeh. I hope I've chosen well to start with his autobiography, to give the other side equal time.
I did walk this am, but couldn't pry myself away from this history of the Arab world the rest of the day, particularly his immediate family's history in London/Jordan/Jerusalem. And worthy of mention, this book runs over 500 pages. I'm a fan of the Israeli's harsh response to attack. But, now I've seen that often they provoke that response, torture methods are barbaric, and they haven't just created orange groves from swamps, but systematically destroyed a culture. Hmm, what to believe? Very very appropriate for the period following another military excursion into Gaza which razed hospitals, schools, homes for simple peasants. Was Hamas shooting from said civilian sites? I would have said yes before I read this, now not so sure. Later...

[Bookmarks Magazine]

Sari Nusseibeh is the ultimate insider, and he draws on that vast experience to shed light on the prospects for peace in the Middle East. He patiently examines complex issues and offers enough nuances to please readers who want to understand the ongoing conflict on a deeper level. The author's relatively evenhanded stance (despite a less-than-flattering portrayal of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, as well as some contested historical details) distinguishes Once Upon a Country from other, more agenda-driven efforts, as does its call for nonviolent resolution and compromise. Nusseibeh, echoing Voltaire's notion that "the wisest course of action is surely to tend to your own garden," casts a critical eye on both sides. The result is "a deeply admirable book by a deeply admirable man" (New York Times Book Review).

This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

[Catherine Richmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the Palestinians opened a casino, it clicked: I know this story. It's a story of Europeans claiming a new place, disregarding property rights of current residents, marginalizing and dehumanizing the residents until violence erupted into war. It's the story of Native Americans.

The Nusseibeh family arrived in Palestine in 638 AD. The family tree includes judges, mayors, orange-grove owners, and the keepers of the key to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The author has a front-row seat on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He ties together and provides context for episodic events in the news.

Most Israelis and Palestinians want peace. But some politicians feed the ongoing war. Some who fuel the violence were victims of ethnic cleansing in another country. Instead of empathy and compassion, they are dominated by hatred and fear. Once Upon a Country is highly recommended to increase understanding of the conflict and the pathway toward peace.

[Afaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is supposed to be an unbiased view of the conflict from the Palestinian side. The author is an intellectual with very deep roots in Jerusalem. He does a good job in describing the history of the conflict. This is a good book to get an overview about this complex conflict and the different events in history which shaped it. That was my favorite part, where he delves into the history of this ancient land. He describes living and growing up in Jerusalem, then starting his family there. Its interesting to read about the day to day of someone growing up and living in the middle of the conflict.

You always get a sense of a hopeful optimism from the author, even when things are completely falling apart around him in his city. He talks about looking ahead and working through the obstacles. The book did run a little longer than I would have preferred. But overall a very informative book and I learned a lot.

[Sarah left GR]

Recommended by my friend Terra, whose opinion I trust in such matters. She calls it an "unbiased look at Palestine and Israel. It has been criticized by both sides as being to lenient, which is a mark of balance."

For some reason, I'm going through this at a glacial pace. There's something about the writing... is un-engaging a word? Can a narrative be *too* balanced? He's relentlessly chronological... maybe it will move more quickly when we get to his imprisonment.

I'm most intrigued by his discussions of his academic/intellectual career in philosophy, and how that informs his perspective of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, I get the feeling that he's dumbing it down for his audience, which is frustrating, though probably necessary.

(Update 3/31/09: Returned to the library. Renewed twice, still hadn't gotten to the halfway point.)

[James Hansee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met one of the author's cousins who recommended this book to me and I'm glad he did. Sari Nusseibeh is a Palestinian intellectual who has been involved in every effort to negotiate a peace between Palestinians and Israelis. The book is a amazing account of the atrocities of both Israelis and Palestinians from a man who has consistently sought a nonviolent solution. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the challenges, issues and history of the struggle in the Holy Land.
Having visited Israel twice I am much more aware of the oppression of the Palestinian people and the continual need for peace-loving people around the world (of all religions) to stand up for the oppressed and call for Israel to step up the negotiating table and be a sincere partner in the quest for a lasting peace. This is a very important book and well worth reading.

[Sandra D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, that was stunning. Of everything I've ever read about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, this book brought the complexities and nuances of the situation into clearest focus for me.

Dr. Nusseibeh tells the story of his life and misadventures in peacemaking with grace and gentle humor, beginning with the Palestine of his and his parents' youth and ending rather abruptly with the building of the "Apartheid Wall." The son of a Palestinian diplomat, he is a graduate of Oxford and Harvard, professor of philosophy, and university president. He's also a public figure as frequently vilified as celebrated by Palestinians, Israelis, lefties and right-wingers due to his unorthodox views and tendency to say what few others dare.

[Deema · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives you a window into the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, which is rarely seen--the reality that there are individuals on both sides who desire peace and who are willing to negotiate, and who realize that humility, communication and compromise are necessary to solve conflict. The book also discusses how binaries and barriers make people feel psychologically safe, while creating an incredibly caustic environment. The book is heavy w/ names and historic details and it is philosophical by nature. The last 2/3 captivated me while the first 1/3 dragged a bit. This book will help you build knowledge regarding the P/I conflict, however, having some prior knowledge regarding how the territories were divided and the history would be helpful.

[Fadillah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliantly written by someone who possess deep emotion towards palestine and in the same time, making balance and fair judgment to every single situation that even confronted palestine and israel. The enlightenment on the crucial event like oslo and unfortunate incident like 6 days war is amazing. Reading via sari's eyes and his dad unpublished memoir making me grateful for the freedom that i had compared to my brothers and sisters in palestine who suffered so much more. 500 pages might be alot to digest, but sari writing style kept me going. He knows how to to intrigue his readers to keep going. Overall, it is a great book to read upon palestinian and israeli issues and conflicts.

[John]

After hearing only that Palestinians are terrorist animals, or that they are innocent victims of apartheid oppression, it was refreshing to find this book that offers a more balanced, complex and realistic perspective. The author is a respected moderate, who worked for years to find a peaceful two-state solution. I was saddened to see how his efforts to pursue the reasonable course were undermined by extremists on both sides of this conflict.

Next on my list: The Shepherd's Granddaughter. I want to understand why this book attracted so much protest from the local Jewish community.



next on my list: The
Next on the list: The

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so refreshing to read a book that represents both sides of an issue, as equally as possible.
It was also so good to read about the Palestians in a balanced and understanding way. Especially where some of the extremism comes from.
And yes even with the author trying to explain and bring a balanced view of the Isrealis as well.
This is a book worth reading to try have issues presented from both sides of the Isreali and Palestinian viewpoints.
I am reading another book on also an impartial author to verify the accounts that I read in this book.
The author is an amazing erudite and fair person who really tries to get peace across.