A History of Modern Palestine

Description

Tracing the history of Palestine from the Ottomans in the nineteenth century, through the British Mandate, the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, and the subsequent wars and conflicts which have dominated this troubled region, Ilan Pappe's widely acclaimed A History of Modern Palestine provides a balanced and forthright overview of Palestine's complex history. Placing at its centre the voices of the men, women, children, peasants, workers, town-dwellers, Jews and Arabs of Palestine, who lived through these times, this tells a story of co-existence and co-operation, as well as oppression, occupation, and exile, exposing patterns of continuity as well as points of fracture. Now in an updated third edition, Pappe draws links between contemporary events, from war in Lebanon, violence in the Gaza Strip and the Arab Spring, with the long history of Palestine, taking into account the success of Israel without neglecting the on-going catastrophe suffered by Palestinians, leaving hope for a better future for all who live in, or were expelled, from Palestine. Review: Headlong into the Abyss - Perhaps Pappe himself could not have imagined the scale of wanton killing and destruction in Gaza that is now taking place before our very eyes. Accusations against Israel have now escalated in the International community beyond Apartheid to Genocide. Governments are seen as at best helpless to intervene and at worst are complicit . The scale of the Israeli violence ,expansion and impunity, has reached a level which threatens the continuation of a world order based on the Internationally accepted Conventions and organisations built after the Second World War. Set in the midst of the obvious deterioration of our global climate it seems beyond doubt that we as Nations have failed miserably , that no lessons, even the most elementary ones, have been learned. Palestine- Israel is now the litmus test by which we judge our chances of survival as a species. Review: A “must read “ to understand the Palestine/Israel conflict - Pappe is an Israeli Jewish professor whose more liberal views caused him to immigrate to England. This history of the conflict is based on the effect on the people (various Arab and Muslin groups, the Jewish peoples (both indigenous and later arriving), and the few Christian groups). His writing does not support or blame any group but tries to explain how we get to this stage.