The Arab Israel Dispute

by Don Peretz

Provides historical background, a chronology of events, profiles of prominent figures, and resources for further study of the political and social conditions in the Middle East.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1996

Reviews

[Rach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must add that 1/2 of this book is a guide for further research--bibliography/references, glossary, etc ~ so the part I was focused on was the "Historical Overview". Too, the book is 20 years old ~ which for a subject as rife with change and complexity as this, might as well be ancient history ~ but I wanted to have a kind of backdrop for "beginning" (at best) an understanding of the conflict. I have mixed feelings about beginning with this book; it is better as a reference and overview once one already has some level of familiarity with the political history/situation. Frankly, I wish I'd started elsewhere. Because it did what it set out to do in simply being an "overview," the book squeezes a vast deal of events, characters, and dates into a compressed space, giving the reader little real "foothold" in any in-depth understanding of the history from individual characters/events within it.

So, I leave this book with almost as much confusion about the underpinnings of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as I began it with, but with a deeper appreciation of the vastness and complexity of the strife.