obsidian Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 ***I would greatly appreciate it if this thread could simply be a book suggestion thread and not delve into the politics of the situation.*** I recently read The lemon tree : an Arab, a Jew, and the heart of the Middle East by Sandy Tolan and I'm looking for some more books that explore the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. I would prefer suggestions as unbiased as possible, but if you know of a great book that is biased (so long as it's not extremely biased), please just note which way it's biased. Trying to get a balanced view on the situation, so I'd like to make sure I don't only read books biased in one direction. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 This is in my TBR pile. It's not only about Israel & Palestine but the whole context of the MELawrence in Arabia - war, deceit, imperial folly and the making of the modern middle east by Scott Andersonhttp://www.amazon.com/Lawrence-Arabia-Deceit-Imperial-Making/dp/0307476413/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411952011&sr=8-1&keywords=lawrence+in+arabia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 I can't recommend a specific book, but stuff by Edward Said should probably be on the list. (Edited to add: He was a Palestinian Christian…believed in a state for Palestine…but also criticized the Arab states…but definitely on the side of the Palestinians. Famous for his work on Orientalism…which dealt with colonialism.) I think rather than books, though (which are almost always biased one way or the other), the best sources are original documents. Read the UN resolutions on the partition plan. This links to a summary which links to the full document. This BBC page goes through a lot of different documents/agreements like Camp David, etc. Look at the maps…what was intended…what happened. Look at the history of the aliyahs starting back in the late 1800s, when the population was …the population changes in Israel, etc. Look at the Palestinian Paper leaks…the documents that show what was offered up in an effort of pace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 I have not read it yet but this book -- by a center-left Israeli journalist -- has been getting rave reviews. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385521707/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=1535523722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1107671779&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1QPA9AF7D9X5JBXAVM8B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 When I saw your topic, I was going to suggest The Lemon Tree. Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour is older and from an Palestinian Christian perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 I also thought Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Charles D. Smith is good history of the conflict. And I know there's another book I read that I really liked, but I cannot remember the title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enviromommy Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 A little outdated at this point (just a little), but two books by Alan Dershowitz: The Case for Israel and The Case for Peace. Edited to add: Also The Missing Peace, by Dennis Ross (the former U.S. head negotiator for the peace process). A much longer, harder read, but very thorough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsidian Posted September 29, 2014 Author Share Posted September 29, 2014 Thank you all for the suggestions! Going to start looking up titles and putting stuff on hold at the library. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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