book review Archives - The Jerusalem Fund

The Movement and the Middle East: How the Arab-Israeli Conflict Divided the American Left

July 27, 2021March 3, 2020 by Samirah Alkassim

The Movement and the Middle East offers the first assessment of the controversial and ultimately debilitating role of the Arab-Israeli conflict among left-wing activists during a turbulent period of American history. Michael R. Fischbach shows how, as the 1970s wore on, the cleavages emerging within the American Left widened, weakening the Movement and leaving a lasting impact that still affects progressive American politics today.

Reading Jeff Halper’s ‘War Against the People: Israel, the Palestinians and Global Pacification’

April 20, 2016April 11, 2016 by Lucian Dieterman

The review below was published in the current issue of Journal of the Society for Contemporary Thought and Islamicate World. I am posting it here because I believe that Jeff Halper’s book deserves the widest possible reading. It explains clearly and convincingly one of the deepest and least understood roots of Israel’s diplomatic support throughout the world, which is its role as a niche arms supplier and influential tactical specialist in waging wars against peoples who dare offer resistance to state power as variously deployed against them.

Born In Jerusalem, Born Palestinian

July 27, 2021December 24, 2014 by Nick Bascunan-Wiley

Jacob J. Nammar, author of “Born In Jerusalem, Born Palestinian,” discusses his life during the 1948 Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.

Threads of Identity: Preserving Palestinian Costume and Heritage

July 27, 2021April 12, 2011 by Nick Bascunan-Wiley

One of the leading authorities on Palestinian costume, Widad Kamel Kawar offers a beautifully photographed compendium of rarely seen examples of Palestinian garments and jewelry and a valuable history of Palestine through interviews with the women who made them.

Atlas Of The Conflict: Israel-Palestine

July 27, 2021March 10, 2011 by Nick Bascunan-Wiley

Malkit Shoshan’s atlas may lead those unfamiliar with the geography of this conflict to experience an epiphany like the one that led the author to undertake this impressive work.

Edward Said: A Legacy of Emancipation and Representation

July 27, 2021February 9, 2011 by Nick Bascunan-Wiley

The tribute to Edward Said compiled is a bounteous offering of information on and perspectives about this Renaissance man.

Children of Catastrophe: Journey from a Palestinian Refugee Camp to America

July 27, 2021December 1, 2010 by Nick Bascunan-Wiley

What does it mean to be a Palestinian refugee from a camp in Lebanon like Nahr al-Bared, for example? Answers to this question can be found in the unique story told by Jamal Kanj in his recent and appropriately titled book Children of Catastrophe.

The Statehood of Palestine: International Law in the Middle East Conflict

July 27, 2021October 31, 2010 by Nick Bascunan-Wiley

John Quigley, professor of international and comparative law at the Ohio State University Law School, argues that according to international law, Palestine may already be a state.

Negotiating Arab-Israeli Peace: Patterns, Problems and Possibilities

July 27, 2021September 30, 2010 by Nick Bascunan-Wiley

As the peace process grinds to a halt, many are reflecting on the problems with the process that led to what was an expected, if not inevitable failure. Why does it seem that the same mistakes are repeated over and over again, and that those managing the peace process today learn nothing from the mistakes of their predecessors?