Frustrated by the failure of the peace process to end the Israeli occupation, and outraged by Ariel Sharon’s invasion, with one thousand armed guards, of the Al-Aqsa holy site in East Jerusalem, the Palestinian population of Israel and the Occupied Territories rose up in September 2000. A new intifada has raged ever since.
In these pages, a group of writers and analysts, many of them directly involved in the conflict, trace the origins of the uprising, its consequences for the Palestinian people and the Israeli state, and its likely impact on the future of peace in the Middle East. They discuss the role of the United States in the conflict, pick apart the fraudulence of the Oslo accords, examine the brutal response of the Barak and Sharon governments, and critically appraise the strategy of the Palestinian leadership. In addition, several contributors provide eloquent first-hand reports from the front-line of the intifada—from the streets of Jerusalem and Gaza, to refugee camps in Lebanon and schools on the West Bank. Photographs provide searing testimony to the heroism and costs of the resistance. Maps illustrate the stranglehold Israel continues to exert over the Palestinian territories. The case for an international grassroots movement in support of Palestinian rights is made with urgency and persuasive clarity.
This book is actually 20 papers (chapters) written by as many different authors including Jennifer Loewenstein, Robert Fisk, and Edward Said to name a few. These chapters are organized under 4 sections, the first dealing with issues of repression and resistance, the second on media facts and propaganda, the third on refugees and right of return, the last on activism. References are found at the end of most chapters (with the exception of interview transcripts and such). This book makes no qualms about exposing Arafat as an irresponsible leader, and definitely points the finger at the PLO as not having the best interests of the Palestinian people at heart. Politics and money have corrupted the Palestinian leadership, and these points are what make the book altruistic in its interpretation of the conflict. Far from painting a rosy picture of Arafat and his cronies, the book succinctly distinguishes government from the people, and fundamentalists from that population such that no blanketing statements are made for or against either side. The book's purpose is to give a Palestinian point-of-view and does not hide this fact, but it is this openness and frankness that readers will find refreshing. This book makes a great supplement to your further readings on the issue.
This book contains some real gems. Some great academic essays, especially on the feasibility of the right of return and some great written works by people who actually live through it.