Atlas of the Conflict: Israel-Palestine

by Malkit Shoshan

The formation of the state of Israel in 1948 and its subsequent conflicts with Palestine notoriously present an extremely complex narrative. Atlas of the Conflict maps the processes and mechanisms behind the shaping of Israel and Palestine over the past 100 years. More than 500 maps and diagrams provide a detailed territorial analysis of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, explored through themes such as borders, walls, settlements, settlement typologies, demographics, land ownership, archeological and cultural heritage sites, control of natural resources, landscaping, wars, treaties and Jerusalem. This data is augmented with personal stories, legal terminology, a timeline of key events and a territorial overview of negotiation sessions. A lexicon, drawing on many different information sources, provides a commentary on the conflict from various perspectives. Atlas of the Conflict also provides lessons on a broader front, particularly regarding disputes over former colonial territories and natural resources.

Genres: History, Politics

480 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2008

About the author

Malkit Shoshan is the founder and director of the architectural think-tank FAST: Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory. FAST uses research, advocacy, and design to investigate the relationship between architecture, urban planning, and human rights in conflict and post-conflict areas.

Currently, Malkit teaches at Harvard GSD the Spaces of Solidarity course , where she is the Area Head for the Art, Design and the Public Domain MDes program and a lecturer in Urban Planning and Design.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is pricey but well worth it. I haven't come across another book that better illustrates just what is happening in Palestine/Israeli better. Impeccably done, the book has high-quality graphs and charts, color reproductions, and stats from the turn of the century to now.

In this instance, pictures do speak a thousand words in this sparsely commented book filled instead with memorizing and utterly defeating illustrations. It pictures the slow crawl of time that has left this little piece of land with few options and fleeting hopes. Anyone interested in learning more about the conflict ---this is required reading.