Blood Revenge: Family Honor, Mediation and Outcasting

Book Description

Deborah Ellis's enormously popular Breadwinner trilogy recounted the experiences of children living in Afghanistan; now Ellis turns her attention to the young people of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After visiting the region to conduct interviews, she presents their stories here — in their own words. Twelve-year-old Nora, eleven-year-old Mohammad, and many others speak directly about their lives — which prove to be both ordinary and extraordinary: They argue with their siblings. They hate spinach. They have wishes for the future. Yet they have also seen their homes destroyed and families killed, and live amidst constant upheaval and violence.

This simple, telling book allows young readers everywhere to see that the children caught in this conflict are just like them — but living far more difficult and dangerous lives. Without taking sides, it presents an unblinking portrait of children victimized by the endless struggle around them.

Customer Reviews:

Illiterate Review.......2007-09-05

Your lead review from a School Library Journal was written by someone lacking in English (e.g. she does not know that the plural of soldier is soldiers - NOT soldier's}.

FEAR! Fear of soldiers, fear of bombs, fear of guns, fear of dying, but most of all, there is fear of each other........2007-09-02

"I know there is a war going on, but I don't know why.... I hear about bombs on the television, about bombs going off in shops and on buses and it makes me afraid."

FEAR! Fear of soldiers, fear of bombs, fear of guns, fear of dying, but most of all, there is fear of each other.

Author Deborah Ellis visits this war torn region to see how children live their everyday life in the middle of a terrifying war.

Read this book to find out how peoples' choices of war are affecting Palestinian and Israeli children's lives.

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A fantasy
A very useful history of the Palestinian people
A good, balanced view
The Rejectionist was Barak the Failure was of Clinton&Arafat
Insufficient Weight Given to the Palestinians' Rejectionism

The Palestinian People: A History
Baruch Kimmerling , and Joel S. Migdal
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0674011295

Book Description

In a timely reminder of how the past informs the present, Baruch Kimmerling and Joel Migdal offer an authoritative account of the history of the Palestinian people from their modern origins to the Oslo peace process and beyond.

Palestinians struggled to create themselves as a people from the first revolt of the Arabs in Palestine in 1834 through the British Mandate to the impact of Zionism and the founding of Israel. Their relationship with the Jewish people and the State of Israel has been fundamental in shaping that identity, and today Palestinians find themselves again at a critical juncture. In the 1990s cornerstones for peace were laid for eventual Palestinian-Israeli coexistence, including mutual acceptance, the renunciation of violence as a permanent strategy, and the establishment for the first time of Palestinian self-government. But the dawn of the twenty-first century saw a reversion to unmitigated hatred and mutual demonization. By mid-2002 the brutal violence of the Intifada had crippled Palestine's fledgling political institutions and threatened the fragile social cohesion painstakingly constructed after 1967. Kimmerling and Migdal unravel what went right--and what went wrong--in the Oslo peace process, and what lessons we can draw about the forces that help to shape a people. The authors present a balanced, insightful, and sobering look at the realities of creating peace in the Middle East.

Customer Reviews:

A fantasy.......2004-10-25

Kimmerling and Migdal are correct in saying that Arabic-speaking people have lived in the Levant since the early days of Islam. Some Arab tribes were in the region even earlier. But I'm not so sure what this proves. Germanic-speaking people have lived in various parts of Europe for quite a while as well. But it still is neither reasonable nor proper to give Arabic-speakers or German-speakers a right to swipe land by gobbling up small neighboring nations.

Kimmerling and Migdal show a tendency to repeat some of Arafat's absurd and arbitrary untruths as if they were valid. Reading this book, you would get the idea that unprovoked attacks ordered by Arafat were somehow spontaneous and provoked by Israel.

However, there is a deeper problem with the whole idea of such a book. Namely, are we taking a few thugs and misrepresenting them as leaders of a "people?" Surely, we would not call the Ku Klux Klan a "people." Nor the "Aryan Nation."

The authors ought to have been more serious about their language. Are the Arabs of the Levant truly a people, such as, say, the Hungarians, who have a language, traditions, a foreign policy, and so forth? With impeccable national credentials? Of course not. Are these Arabs more like the Mormons, a group that in the nineteenth century clearly lacked national credentials but were prepared to consider their options, including an option to take advantage of nationhood and behave like a nation? Or are they more like the Sudetens, who in the 1930s became a manifest fraud for the purpose of depriving Czechs of their rights, all in the name of German nationalism and Empire?

This book is not a contribution to a scholarly assessment of such questions. It's just propaganda for use in a war against the rights of non-Arabs in the Levant.

A very useful history of the Palestinian people.......2004-08-26

The Israeli historian Baruch Kimmerling and the American historian Joel Migdal have written an excellent study of the development of Palestinian society, economy and national identity over the last two centuries. Part 1 looks at the development from the 1834 revolt against the Ottoman empire, the start of modern Palestine, to the 1936-39 revolt against the British ruling class, who decimated Palestinian institutions, to Zionism's benefit. It shows how the Europe-dominated world market, Zionism and government intervention framed the Palestinian nation. Part 2 examines the dispersal of 1948. Part 3 looks at how the Palestinian nation was reborn in resistance against occupation, up to the 1987 Intifada.

Part 4 studies the Oslo peace agreement of 1993, negotiated away from the Washington talks. Large majorities of both the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples backed Oslo. The left, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the diaspora, conspicuously Edward Said, opposed it - all put the right of return above every other consideration.

Oslo negotiated a two-state settlement - two states for two peoples. It involved explicit acceptance of each other's existence, and mutual acceptance of the idea of partition, with agreed borders between the two states. Both sides renounced violence, and committed themselves to cooperation, negotiation and peaceful coexistence.

Its gains included Israeli withdrawal from the urban areas of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and the first establishment of Palestinian self-government. Yet between 1993 and 2000 successive Israeli governments undermined the agreement by doubling the numbers of settlers in the West Bank.

For the future, the authors conclude, "Neither people can achieve peace without fulfilling some of the most deeply held the aspirations of the other." Israel will have to make concessions on settlements, the refugees' right of return, a capital city in Jerusalem, and Palestinian control over sufficient water resources. It must end the brutal, illegal occupation, and - the key issue - it must accept a sovereign Palestinian state.

The alternative is that both sides strive for maximalist goals involving mutual denial, which will lead only to their mutual destruction.

A good, balanced view.......2004-01-31

Rejecting standard Palestinian and Israeli historiographies, this book puts forth an explanation of why we are in the present situation by relying heavily on published material and undisputed facts but viewed from the author's particular perspective and interpretation. Stephen Covey, in his book 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' illustrates the fact that we can all see the same world completely differently by the picture of a woman. To some who have been conditioned beforehand she is an old hag while to others, conditioned differently, she is a real cutie. No where does this point have greater validity than when we view the history of the relationship between the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. To put it crudely, the Israelis have been conditioned to view the Palestinians as the old hag, while the Palestinians, quite naturally, see themselves as the real cutie. For the neutral outsider who is concerned that the Third World War might arise in this area, it is very difficult to get past the passions and prejudices, to get to facts and solutions that are acceptable to everyone. It seems that we have two broad alternatives - let the contestants fight it out until one is the victor or both are so exhausted that they are prepared to negotiate. During their centuries of immaturity, humans have used this method. I like to think that humans have grown beyond that stage and can act in a more mature manner and this is basically what this book sets out to do. They have tried to gather the facts of history in an unbiased way and work on the solution in a mature manner.

Their 1993 book "Palestinians: The Making of a People', was the first full account of Palestinian society and politics from their origins to the present and was published as the Oslo peace process was starting. It generated considerable interest from neutral people, Palestinian acclaim and vitriolic debate in Israel. When Rabin took Arafat's hand on the White House lawn in September 1993, it was acknowledged that the Oslo agreement demanded a new way of thinking about old issues and stubborn problems. The prime issue was whether or not there was a unified Palestinian people prior to Zionism - an assertion that the authors reaffirm in this book, recognizing that it is extremely unpopular in Israel as it undermines the Zionist story. However, since 1993 there has been a growing acceptance of the authors' points and in an August 2002 poll 78% of Israeli Jews accepted that Palestinians have a legitimate right to a state. After Barak's 1999 election, 75% of Palestinians on the West Bank and Gaza Strip voted for negotiations, knowing that this meant acceptance of Israel's legitimate existence and Israel's occupation of 80% of historic Palestine.

The Oslo process induced Palestinians and Israelis to reconsider their shared history - a painful undertaking for both sides. Building the future requires an ability to deal maturely and honestly with the past and it is the hope of the authors that this book will contribute to that process. Tracing events from the 1834 Revolt and the making of the modern Palestine in the first three parts of the book, the final part examines what went right and what went wrong in the Oslo process. If we accept the fact that the authors have made an effort to present the facts in a neutral way - recognizing that the hag and cutie prejudice will not be easily overcome - the important thing is to study the final part, stop the bloodshed and move forward.

It is a responsibility of all peace loving people to read this book and lend their support to finding and implementing the solution which comes closest to being fair for all. I am reminded of Edmund Burke's statement: "For the triumph of evil it is only necessary that good men do nothing."

The Rejectionist was Barak the Failure was of Clinton&Arafat.......2003-08-14

Kimmerling and Migdal in the part four of their book provide the readers for the first time the true and non-biased story behind the failure of Oslo-Taba talks, within a wide historical perspective. It is a must be reading for every person who want to understanding the reasons of the recent development between the Israelis and the Palestinians. A scholarship at its best.

Insufficient Weight Given to the Palestinians' Rejectionism.......2003-07-04

Kimmerling's and Migdal's analysis of Palestinian politics and society is hopelessly biased. The authors soft-pedal the Palestinians' basic rejection of Israel's legitimacy and their implicit (and often explicit -- cf. Arafat's many pronouncements in Arabic) wish to destroy Israel. For example, Kimmerling and Migdal, incredibly, fail to discuss the 2000 Camp David negotiations, the later Clinton proposals, or the January 2001 Taba negotiations, deferring instead to the extensive coverage of this sequence "elsewhere." This glaring omission is evidence enough of the authors' biases. Absent is any mention of the Palestinian rejection, without counter-offer or any other serious sign of a willingness to compromise, of Barak's proposals. Absent is the subsequent Palestinian response: another intifida. Absent is the Palestinian rejection of the Clinton proposals, which offered the Palestinians all of Gaza, 94-96% of the West Bank, and shared sovereignty over Jerusalem, including dominion over the haram al-sharif/temple mount. Further underscoring the Palestinians' unwillingness to negotiate and their basic rejection of Israel's right to exist is another fact that Kimmerling and Migdal ignore: the unyielding insistence by the Palestinians in all negotiations (at least beginning with Oslo) on their so-called "right of return." Of course, a full right of return would mean the end of Israel as a Jewish state. One may debate whether the Palestinians are merely being tactical here or whether it is truly their intent to destroy Israel demographically. But it is irresponsible of Kimmerling and Migdal to omit any discussion of these events. Consequently, I do not recommend this book.

The Palestinian Catastrophe: The 1948 Expulsion of a People from Their Homeland

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Telling the truth
Horrifying
This Book will make you angry.
Excellent and accurate coverage

The Palestinian Catastrophe: The 1948 Expulsion of a People from Their Homeland
Michael Palumbo
Manufacturer: Olive Branch Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

Telling the truth.......2007-01-16

This is an outstanding historical document daring to tell the truth about the early years of the Israeli State. Based primarily on Israeli government documents it details the sytematic efforts to expunge the Palestinian people from their land and incorporate it under Israeli control. Every American should read this book.

Horrifying.......2003-06-10

It is amazing to read of the level of atrocity and deceit. Ethnic Cleansing, Localized Genocide, Rampant Racism- it reads like something out of Nazi Germany. But here it is, in the middle of the Middle East, anti-Semitism, committed by Jews against Arabs. Brother against Brother. Palumbo shares with us stories of those who helped the Jews flee the Nazis, and how these same individuals watch the actions of the nascent Israeli Defense Forces, and can see no difference in their actions. Truly, as Walter Wink said, we become that which we hate. We learn hatred, and the practices of hatred, from our enemies. And here one repeatedly hears leaders of the Zionist movement explicitly calling for the same practices as the Nazis, as they worked so well, and even calling for alliances with the Nazis, in order to establish a country 'Goyim Rein', an 'Israel for the Jews, as Germany is for the Germans'.

And it is surprising to hear how most Jews in the first half of the 20th century did *not* want an Israeli nation, as they did not see that as part of God's call for their people. Or how leader after modern Israeli leader engaged in explicit terrorist action- in fact, most of them were on the top 20 list of terrorists by the British government, during the British mandate. Doing the same practices, the same suicide bombings, as extremist Palestinians do today. We become that which we hate. And it's not just Palumbo's opinion- this is a meticulously researched book. If you choose to disagree with what is said, you must prove a large number of resources wrong- including many resources from Israeli government leaders.

This isn't just dry history. Palumbo uses a highly readable format, telling stories through the eyes of the observers and the victims, with additional factual information. Yet he does it in a way that is in now way fictional, but breathes authenticity. He looks primarily at the infamous al nakba, the Catastrophe, wherein the Palestinians were driven from their homeland- a people uniquely tied in self-identity to the land, just as Americans are tied to their sense of the individual in their identities. I reside, therefore I am.

Insult to injury is the Zionist propaganda machine, that has managed to shift the blame for wartime atrocities on to the victims. After reading this work, one may come away with the same feeling- that truly, Israel has been one of the primary leaders in terrorism.

To read more, I'd recommend Wink's Engaging the Powers, as well as Dying in the Land of Promise. Don Wagner focuses here on the history of Christian Palestinians, from the year 33 to the present, and how they were driven away during al nakba, and their experiences afterward.

This Book will make you angry........2002-06-03

When I was a teenager, all I knew about the 1948 "war of independence" was what I saw in the movie "Exodus" with Paul Newman and what I read in the World Book Encyclopedia entry.

In that movie the Zionist wanted nothing more than to live in peace with their Arab neighbors, but the "arab neighbors" like children following the pied piper of Hamelin, left their homes (and all their earthly belongings) at the word of radio broadcasts from "Arab High Command". (It didn't occur to me to ask why not let them back once they came to their senses.)

From the World Book encyclopedia, I was told that all the surrounding arab countries declared war on Israel within the hour of it's "declaration of independence" and their armies invaded with single minded aim of destroying the country. Israel, against incredible odds, triumphed over all an as an added bonus ended up with 78% of Palestine, instead of the 52% provided for in the UN partition. (What Luck!)

Michael Palumbo, who previously got the goods on Kurt Waldheim's wartime record, followed up by writing this history from UN archival sources, Palestinian sources, and Israeli diaries and memiors (frequently more reliable than Israeli military and intelligence archives).

No matter how much you think you know about the middle east, how much of a critic of Israel you might be, this book will make you angry. Angry over the continuing injustice, angry over the continuing lies, angry over the continuing manipulation of western opinion (particularly US opinion), angry over the impotence of the newly formed UN.

In this book you will learn that the Palestinians did not leave because they were ordered to, on the contrary Arab radio broadcasts demanded that they *stay.* The Palestinians left, because they were terrorized, coerced, and, when all else failed, forced out. The Zionist movement never had any intention of living in peace with "their arab neighbors." From the very beginning (even before Herzl), they intended to claim the entire land for a Jewish State, and would only tolerate the smallest Arab minority possible. The Arab states declared war, but the fighting had started with the partition a year earlier. Their intervention was half-hearted at best and was never meant to destroy Israel (e.g. they never entered in the "jewish part" of the partition.)

Reading this at this time will give the uncanny sense of deja vu.
You'll find the systematic use of looting and wanton vandalism of palestinian homes and businesses. The same manipulation of opinion. (On the one hand, denying access because of fight. On the other hand denying atrocities, because there's "no evidence."
The destruction of houses with people still in them (by dynamite, not by bulldozers tho').

Also there's Menachem Begin's role in the massacre of Deir Yassin and Yitzak Shamir's role in the assasination of UN mediator Folke Bernadotte. (Keep in mind next time you hear Yassir Arafat a "terrorist.")

The overwhelming feeling will be "how can we have been so lied to for so long."

How indeed?

Excellent and accurate coverage.......2000-10-24

I read this book a couple of years ago and was very impressed at the level of research the author has done to bring this information to the public. It is hard to find books with impartial view on this sensitive subject, this is a good one. Read it!!

The Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People's Struggle

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The People's Struggle

The Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People's Struggle
Ramzy Baroud
Manufacturer: Pluto Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0745325475

Customer Reviews:

The People's Struggle.......2007-06-11

This book didn't have a description so I used the one from the author's website to help other interested readers learn more about this book.

The Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People's Struggle is Ramzy Baroud's comprehensive account of the momentous events of the last five years which shaped the political landscape not only of Palestine and Israel but of the entire Middle East region. Addressing the most controversial issues, including the alarming escalation in suicide bombings, and the construction of the Separation Wall, he reports on the huge rate of unemployment and hunger in the Occupied Territories' statistics so critical that NGOs compare their magnitude to African nations such as the Congo. From the brutality of the Israeli army to the ever-compromising nature of the Palestinian Authority, few are spared Baroud¹s thoughtful critique. The book is clear and concise, with one chapter dedicated to the major events of each year, and includes a comprehensive timeline.

Understanding the Holy Land: Answering questions about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

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A quick "take" on the Holy Land
Easy reading but informative
Finally!
Understanding the Holy Land

Understanding the Holy Land: Answering questions about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Mitch Frank
Manufacturer: Viking Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0670060321

Book Description

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unlike any other situation in the world today. It's in the news daily, can spark intense emotional arguments, and influences American foreign policy.
Yet, a real understanding of this heated conflict is hard to come by.
In Understanding the Holy Land, Mitch Frank offers straightforward explanations. Answering questions from "What is intifada?" to "Why is peace so hard?" Frank carefully covers the significant developments of this complex disagreement.
Written in a question-and-answer format for sixth-graders and up, and illustrated with black-and-white photos and maps, this book will help young people understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its significance to the world.

Customer Reviews:

A quick "take" on the Holy Land.......2007-01-06

This conflict has been ongoing for a long time. Books that discuss the problems can be very complex. This book by Mitch Frank does an excellent job of sticking to a brief analysis of the major problems in prose that is easy to understand.

Easy reading but informative.......2005-10-13

English is not my primary language but this book was easy enough to finish in two days. I did not know much about Israel-Palestina conflict and was looking for a good book with basic information. This book taught me how the three religions-- Judaism, Muslim and Chiristianity-- are related, and why different peoples see the Holy Land as their homes.

This book is for not only children but perfect for adult readers whose primary language is not English. Highly recommended.

Finally!.......2005-08-06

After reading this book, I feel that I finally have better understanding of what's going on -- and more importantly, why --in the Holy Land area.

The book is written for a middle-school audience, and therefore the language is much easier to understand than that in other books I've tried to read on the subject. Since the subject matter is complicated, and the average reader would need to focus his/her attention on really comprehending the issue, having the author's easy-to-understand language to guide through the chapters is really, really helpful.

As of summer 2005, the book is as up-to-date as can be. I hope that someone -- if not this author -- will able to follow the issue and keep informing the public the way this book has.

Understanding the Holy Land.......2005-05-27

This book should be read by anyone of any age who really wants to understand the full story of the conflict in the Middle East. Mr. Frank offers an empathic and stunninly clear explanation of the cultural and political background and beliefs of all parties to the conflict. He includes a tremendous amount of information, making this complicated subject accessible and shedding light on a situation most Americans know little about. I highly recommend this book.

The Palestinian Liberation Organisation: People, Power and Politics (Cambridge Middle East Library)

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A Flawed Analysis of the PLO

The Palestinian Liberation Organisation: People, Power and Politics (Cambridge Middle East Library)
Helena Cobban
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Palestinian Identity

ASIN: 0521272165

Book Description

This is a comprehensive political analysis of the PLO. A correspondent in Beirut from 1976 to 1981, Helena Cobban has been able to study developments at close quarters and use documentary sources and first-hand recollections which have never been included in previous Western analyses of the movement. The book maintains that one key to understanding the development of the PLO is an examination of the development of its predominant member-group, Al-Fateh. The first part focuses on the history of Fateh, showing how its interests and the PLOâ€™s became intertwined. The latter part discusses the interrelations between the Fateh leadership and various factors which affect and are affected by its performance, such as the internal Palestinian opposition, the Arab milieu, and the resistance movement inside the Israeli-occupied areas. The final chapter draws together all the strands to arrive at the precise sources of the Fateh leadershipâ€™s relative stability, as well as to assess its effectiveness in key areas of its operations.

Customer Reviews:

A Flawed Analysis of the PLO.......2005-12-07

Helena Cobban, a noted reporter on Middle Eastern affairs has done a less than fair job with this book. The best portions of the book had more to do with the structure (political and military) of the PLO than with history. There were many problems with the book, for one there was no index! Cobban frequently used her own articles such as her dispatch to the Christian Science Monitor (pg. 288) and article in Atlantic Monthly (to name a few) as source material. She even cites her articles in the third person, "see Helena Coban, 'The Building Called Mercy'."

In terms of historical objectivity the book is severely lacking, in one instance Cobban mentions how Israel killed 23 on a raid on the Palestinian controlled Lebanese town of Damour (in retaliation for the assasination of an Israeli diplomat in Paris and numerous cross-border attacks); at the same time there was no mention of how the Palestinains came in control of the town through massacring, raping, and pillaging the Lebanese Christians who lived there. Cobban like many reporters close to the PLO during the Lebanese Civil War was little more than a passive mouthpiece for PLO propaganda.

The only reason I give this 3 stars is because it gives an excellent outline to the organizational structure of the PLO and the semi-seperate groups inside the PLO (such as the PFLP, DFLP, and smaller groups such as the ALF).

In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian Story

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On Identify, Gender, England and being a Palestinian Refugee
Inside the mind of a dislocated Palestinian
To be a palestnian refugee
Interesting
What happened to Palestine and the Palestinians

In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian Story
Ghada Karmi
Manufacturer: Verso
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1859846947

Book Description

Very few diaspora Palestinians have written memoirs as intimate as Ghada Karmi's frank account of her life: her childhood in Palestine, the flight to Britain after the catastrophe of 1948, and coming of age in the coffee-bars of Golders Green, the middle-class Jewish quarter in North London. A gentle humour describes the bizarre and sometimes tense realities that mask her life in 'Little Tel Aviv' and, later, her struggle, like that of many other women in the late fifties, to get a university grant to study medicine.

The intimacy of the book is set against the continuing crisis in the Middle East. In her case it is not an account of physical hardships and abuse. Her immediate family was lucky. But as she grew older, memories of the lost homeland began to haunt her. Her anger grows at the self-deception of most Israelis, who justify the appalling actions of their governments by pretending that what is taking place isn't actually happening.

In Search of Fatima reminds us that the only crime the Palestinians committed was to be born in Palestine. Its author, a committed physician, is desperate for the wounds to heal, but grim-visaged History refuses to oblige.

Customer Reviews:

On Identify, Gender, England and being a Palestinian Refugee.......2006-09-02

This is truly an outstanding work. The search and confusion of identity is made even more difficult when one is a Palestinian refugee. Add to this the issue of gender and Ghada Karmi assertion of herself and her rights and you get a fascinating indeed thrilling mix. The first third of the book deals with the exodus from Jerusalem ..it is very moving and sad to see the events rushing to make little Ghada and her family refugees. In the next part we see Ghada the British emerging and finally with all the contradiction between home, school (with mostly Jewish friends) and the society at large especially with backdrop of the 1956 Suez war. The third and final part is the return and the contradictions of identities and the battle to assert herself as a single woman working for the cause. Ghada's move from the completely apolitical to the activist as part of her search of identity is very well nuanced and gives us a great insight into the meaning of being a Palestinian refugee.

Ghada Karmi is a gifted writer. This work is fascinating enough even if it was given as bullet points in a PowerPoint presentation, but this is hardly the case. Karmi has a facility with prose and is able to get into great detail to transform the readers into her life; this was very much the case in the fist part of the book, the exodus from Jerusalem. You can almost picture Ghada abandoned dog as their car sped away from the house never to return.

This is a thrilling work on par with Leila Ahmad Border Passage. Leila Ahmad an Egyptian American was not a refugee but here Tri-cultural experience in Egypt, England and America and her search of identity and issues of gender are very interesting and highly developed. Another highly recommended work of a Palestinian American is Nadia Captive of Hope, deals with exodus and gender issues and less so of identity.

Inside the mind of a dislocated Palestinian.......2006-03-03

This book is like a narrative of two different lives: the end of one and the beginning of another. Two lives that are not independent of each other though, as remnants of the one may not be overpowering to the point of eliminating the other, but are certainly powerful enough to haunt it, shape it, give it its final form.

Although in essence totally overwhelmed by emotions, Karmi manages to almost detach and distance herself from her own being, leave her body and float above everything and everyone. That way she describes people, situations and feelings in a detailed and factual fashion, devoid of the empathy that would crush the reader, immerse him in a whirlwind of unfulfilled expectations and unrelieved tension, and ultimately leave him feeling nothing short of miserable and exhausted.

Throughout the entire book, there's a marked emphasis on Karmi's relationships with other Jews, the friendships she formed and her refusal to see them in any other way than as individuals with traits that were or were not compatible, likable or acceptable to her. She almost goes out of her way to make clear that Jewishness never hindered her from befriending someone and not only that, but in an unfamiliar environment such as London was in the aftermath of the second World War, Palestinians and Jews that found themselves stranded there were entities that shared the misfortune of exile, and as such could indeed relate to one another. Moreover, the fact that Judaism was as much a respected as a familiar religion for Muslims, much more so than Christianity, played a role. As did the writer's initial stance, adopted by her parents and passed onto her from an early age, that it wasn't so much the Jews that were responsible for the Palestinians' fate and the violent takeover of their country, as ultimately the British, who as custodians of Palestine had the obligation to protect and safeguard the interests of the indigenous population. Instead, they forsook and betrayed them, and disposed of the Palestinian land -that was never theirs to dispose of in the first place- as served their purposes at the time.

Karmi experiences an internal conflict, wavering between her British identity and her Arab origins, desperately longing to be accepted by and fit in either society. She often describes the war that rages inside of her, the opposite forces pushing and pulling, on the one hand the need to put everything behind her and lead as normal a life as possible, and on the other the need to seek out her roots and fight with all her might the injustice that was meted out to her.

This book is so much more that a simple memoir, as it goes deep inside the mind of people who experience exile and dislocation, and gives a picture of the psychological turmoil they find themselves in and the void they will probably never be able to fill.

To be a palestnian refugee.......2005-12-23

This is a wonderful book that shows the humnan tragedy of becoming a refugee. In this case, the book talks about a refugee of the 1948 war for Palestine. While the book explains how the creation of the state of Israel have shattered the lives of three quarter million palestnians, it tells the story of one of them. The story of personal conflicts that face any palestnian refugee now, then and in the future:
- Can I return to Palestine and where is it now?
- How can I stay palestnian and at the same time contribute to my current non-palestnian community?
- Do I have the capacity to forgive israelies for what they did to my family and country?

While Ghada's responses to these questions were positive, and she insisted to find an answer to these questions, it is the role of each palestnian to find his/her own answers. Also, it is the role of non-palestnians to understand the palestnian refugee before addressing their plight. Therefore I highly recommend this book.

Interesting.......2003-10-21

I found this book to be of assistance to my desire to learn more about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Even though it is a Palestinian story, it has given me enough interesting information to continue my research.

What happened to Palestine and the Palestinians.......2003-08-16

This is an excellent and thoughtful book that takes the reader through the events that led to the destruction of Palestine and forced hundreds of thousands of people, like Fatima and her family from their homes. For many Palestinians, reading this book relives memories of a tragedy that so many of us have suffered and so little of the American public knows. I highly recommend it as an introduction to Palestine and the origin of the conflict between Palestinians and Israel.

The second half of the book which deals with the protagonist's search for identity in England is also very characteristic of what the Palestinian families who were forced to emigrate to different countries all over the world have to face: complete assimilation versus living in the injury done to us by the creation of the Israeli state.

Customer Reviews:

Provides depth and detail on Palestine history and issues.......2006-03-06

The first edition of Encyclopedia Of The Palestinians appeared in 2000 and there have been vast changes in the region since, prompting the need for this substantively revised edition, which offers new entries about these recent developments. Articles have all been updated, photos of important leaders and events added, and fifty key documents included. Encyclopedia Of The Palestinians provides depth and detail on Palestine history and issues, making it a recommended pick for general-interest college-level history holdings, as well.

Concise Discussions Without Overt Bias Can Promote Peace.......2002-12-05

There is much more detail that should be included. Four examples:

1 - The first 20 years of the region's decoupling from Turkey is inadequately discussed;

2 - Faisel Husseini, the man T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) chose as his key to launching the WWI revolt) was assisted in escaping the Turks by Lebanese-born Rafiq Habib Gabour, the 20-year-old consul on behalf of Persia to Turkey;

3 - Rafiq Habib Gabour dedicated his life to evicting Britain from Egypt and from Palestine, yet is not mentioned in the book;

4 - Working-class Jews and Arabs of the region worked together to improve their working conditions, wages, and political freedoms. Yet, not one line to this effect is uttered. This is key, for those in power and those with a financial stake in the area may possibly have driven a wedge between the two groups for which the entire world is now paying a stiff price!

The organization also could be much improved. Trying to find information on particular people, such as Faisel, or his brother Abdullah, or their father King Hussein of the Hegaz, is a bit of a meandering trail.

Despite these shortcomings, this book is quite useful and remarkably free of bias that leads any reader into a particular judgement. It is a must for anyone wishing to gain a fair insight to Palestine and Israel.

I highly recommend the book to any individual wishing to gain an insight into the development of the region and the seeds of the current strife. Supporters of Israel will find the book helpful, just as will supporters of the Palestinians. Few other books about the people of the region can boast such a claim.

Excellent Encyclopedia about Palestine & Palestinians.......2000-05-12

This Encyclopedia in one volume brings together a wealth of unbiased information about Palestine & Palestinians. It walks you through a snapshot of Palestine past & current events. I gained valuable information about past & current leadership within the Palestinian community. For example, briefly it gives you a snapshot about Palestinian families & their well known family members (i.e. Husayni, Nashashibi, Abdil Hadi, Khalidi, Nsabih,..etc. families). Beside that the book also gave me a deep insight into the past & present political parties, their leadership, statistical data (population, immigration, water sources, ..etc) before & after the catastrophe, Israeli settlement, ..Etc. Although the book contained very good maps, it lacks pictures of its subjects & events. An Arabic & Hebrew version of this book is a must. Good Job

Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries : A People's History (Middle East series ; no 3)

Average customer rating:

Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries : A People's History (Middle East series ; no 3)
Rosemary Sayigh
Manufacturer: Lawrence Hill & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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