The Israel-Palestine Conflict: Contested Histories

Contesting the Past

by Neil Caplan

The Israel-Palestine Contested Histories provides non-specialist readers with an introduction and historical overview of the issues that have characterized and defined 130 years of the still unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Provides a fresh attempt to break away from polemical approaches that have undermined academic discussion and political debates Focuses on a series of core arguments that the author considers essentially unwinnable Introduces readers to the major historiographical debates sparked by the dispute Encourages readers to consider more useful ways of explaining and understanding the conflict, and to go beyond trying to prove who is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ "This volume suggests a fresh and original interpretation to the history of the Arab Israeli conflict. Caplan juggles skillfully and even-handedly between the two narratives, reflecting the parties’ own views without embracing the cause of any party." –Joseph Nevo, University of Haifa

"An impressive and very valuable work. One could not ask for a better short history of the conflict. Caplan offers readers a study that is extremely well-informed, resolutely fair-minded, and filled with thoughtful insights." –Mark Tessler, University of Michigan

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Middle East, Israel, Judaism, History and Politics

334 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Caleb Hoyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the wake of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s recent controversial comments about AIPAC lobbyists, I heard many passionate and seemingly persuasive comments both attacking her and in defense of her, and everything in between. I felt, as I often have before, that I simply didn’t really know enough about the controversies in the Middle East to weigh in, or even formulate opinions to myself. So I searched out a book about the history of that area. But the events there have been fraught for so long that even finding a book that pretends to be impartial seemed almost impossible. I found books with titles like “The Case for Israel” or Jimmy Carter’s “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” which themselves revealed straight away that they were arguing from a particular perspective. That is fine and valid, but I think better suited for a reader who already feels they have a grasp on the basic facts of the situation. All that is to explain how I eventually arrived at this book, which really strives to provide the fundamental information and history of the conflict, as well as they varying and contested attitudes and perspectives about that information. It is a little dry, and in bending over backwards to explain each side’s interpretation of events it sometimes feels like you’re being presented alternate versions of reality. But it demonstrates how dysfunctional the arguments have gotten at times, because each side does have contesting versions of history and reality that they will live and die by, and it’s important to know that. While a bit dry, as I said, I feel like the author was remarkably successful in his effort to present a neutral account, and was able to keep the text at a very unintimidating length. While I can’t say it was necessarily an entertaining read, it was hugely educational to me, and I’m really glad I read it.

[Joma Geneciran · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had to assign one overview survey, in the sea of similar texts, this would be it. Caplan does an excellent job historicizing the sets of conflicts.

[Chee Lian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caplan's is such a rational voice on a highly controversial topic, and he's made a difficult subject so accessible to the layman.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

The below is for the second edition, published in 2020.

This book enabled me to go from almost no knowledge about the conflict to feeling well informed and like I understand the tragedy, complexity, and intractability of the situation. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a place to start in learning about this heart breaking struggle. Caplan should be lauded for his devotion to presenting both sides of the conflict fully and fairly, as well as for his clear and engaging writing. His careful attention to language is also worthy of praise. He spends most of the book (11 of 13 chapters) detailing the history of the conflict with almost none of his own analysis. His selection of historical analysis from Jewish and Arab voices in these sections is exceptional. I found the analysis he provides in the last two chapters fair, persuasive, and productive. Many shockingly obvious typographical errors like incorrect punctuation, misspelled words, and missing letters keep this from being a 5 star. Below are thoughts more about the conflict itself.

The most surprising thing I learned was the extent of British involvement in this whole affair. From the British Balfour declaration serving as a catalyst for the conflict through its undeliverable dual promise, to Britain’s role in starting the 1948 role by withdrawing from the area, to its support of Arab states in the 1967 war which ultimately cost Palestinians swaths of land, British involvement seems to have made the situation worse at almost every turn. This was especially surprising to me as I had no idea that the British were involved in any way.

While I appreciate Caplan’s 11 core arguments as representative of the heart of the conflict between the two protagonists, I disagree with the notion that they are all intractable. For example, it seems obvious to this reader how to answer the following: “How did Palestinians become refugees in 1948-49? And why have they remained refugees for so long?” I do, however, agree with the notion that they show why the conflict is so difficult to resolve. While it seems unlikely that this will occur in the (near) future, Caplan effectively shows why a two-state solution seems like the only way forward that could possibly lead to an end to the conflict. May we all hope for peace.

[Richard Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who has an interest in the Middle East should read this book. It's sometimes a little plodding, but it has a unique and valuable perspective. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that its value lies in its lack of any perspective. Mr. Caplan uses language that is as neutral and objective as possible to articulate both Israeli and Palestinian perspectives from the beginnings of the conflict to recent times (though it was written before the recent incursion into Gaza). Over the years, I have mostly seen the conflict with Israeli eyes - thinking of the Israelis as strong, scrappy, smart people who escaped the Holocaust to make the desert bloom and build a modern democratic nation in their historic homeland while facing off against irrational angry enemies who only want them dead. I have been frustrated sometimes by their unwillingness to negotiate, the settlements, the second class status of Israeli Palestinians and sometimes excessive military reactions, but never saw the Israelis as colonialists or oppressors. This book hasn't changed my mind about anything. It isn't meant to do that, but it has helped me to see that there is another perspective that deserves consideration, and has helped me to see how much of the positioning, thinking and arguments on both sides have been counterproductive.

[Liam Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll keep it brief but Caplan’s is a hyper-rational and incredibly self-aware collection of the history of the conflict as well as a review of how it is interpreted within modern contexts, ending with solid advice to the reader about how to navigate discussions productively. I read this for a university class last semester and knew it was something I wanted to finish pouring over. It’s the type of work that will necessarily spark internal reflection and dialogue. Very substantial read for anyone (with an open mind) to truly put their best foot forward in understanding the parallel histories and dynamics at play and why they matter.

I’ll leave with a quote from Ilan Pappé I found poignant about the construction of history in general:

“Indeed, a historical narrative is far more than a simple sequencing of events, but rather a way of extracting a plot out of collated facts, requiring historians to make decisions about what to include, exclude, emphasize, and how to structure the narrative. This being the case, it is inevitable that current political realities influence the agendas and orientations of professional historians…” (Caplan, 248)

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most balanced and informative primer on the Israel-Palestine conflict that I’ve encountered. While the author generally strives for neutrality, there are a few chapters where certain sources with specific leanings seem to be favored over others. Additionally, some key historical contexts are omitted, which could have added valuable nuance. That said, no work is without flaws, and these instances don’t detract from the book’s overall value—I’d still recommend it. My only wish is that it were more accessible and not tucked away among $40-$60 academic textbooks, as it offers insights that should reach a broader audience.

[Shumi Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since the recent conflict started the world has been divided left and right. From friends and family to people I admire each had a different opinion on the conflict that was driven by the biases they already carried with them. After searching over Reddit for a neutral book about the conflict, I found this. This book and the author take quite the effort to make the book sound neutral. A lot of the starting chapters are just about the meaning of being neutral when it comes to this conflict and this theme is carried on till the end where viewpoints from both sides are presented taken from a wide array of authors from different backgrounds. So, it definitely succeeds on being a neutral. This book doesn't tell you who's right and wrong, but it gives you the knowledge required for you to deduce who's right or wrong.

[Bill Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

This is a largely unbiased view of the Israeli Palestinian situation. It is a deca account of the conflict from its inception to the 21st century. The author makes a special effort to be unbiased and to point out biases. He also points out that academics generally have biases in their literature and presentations. He gives guidelines on how to recognize bias in these situations he offers an outline for possible resolution, but it’s not confident that this issue can be resolved well done.

[Jayden Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really good. It took me a really long time to read it because I wanted to make sure that I understood as much of the book as I could. It was very in depth, with a lot of information. Honestly, if someone were to ask me to summarize this book I would simply say that the conflict is a lot more complicated than I thought. But, I believe that I met my goal in reading this book which was to better understand both sides of the conflict. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants more information on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

[Finlay Pike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy to read and good at avoiding taking a firm position, although some bias (as always) can be detected. His idea of “unwinnable arguments” seems a bit odd, many historiographical debates are, and he also crafts the arguments in a way that they are even more unwinnable. He also does not give attention to Palestinians themselves or political organizations other than the PLO.

[Chana Ceasar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. It started out good but somewhere along the way if started to feel rushed like the author left parts out. I’ve ready many books about the history of the I/P conflict and this was my least favorite

[JJS. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good survey compares the conflicting narratives of the world's longest ongoing conflict in the world. If you only know the conflcit from current events, but only vaguely know the history, this is a good place to start with understanding it.