A request - Books/Movies on the Palestine/Israel conflict?

MSI Magus

MSI Magus

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So I was just reading the news and realized despite reading stories week in week out for years about the two butting heads....I really do not know much about the region, the conflict or their history. I know the basics about it being the a Holy Land for multiple religions and Israels expanding...but not a lot more. I really hate when I realize I am ignorant about something like this and thus try and read some books/watch some documentaries on the subject. Problem this time is that this is such a heated topic that I am worried about skewed sources. I want to make sure I get accurate info and hear both sides of the conflict.

So, asking here...anyone have any good recommendations on movies/books that do a good job at presenting both sides/a fair look of the history of this conflict?

Thanks!
 
There's also a documentary on the Britsh Mandate(to kick all the jews out of Europe) that's pretty good. It goes into the time between the end of WW2 to the establishment of a Jewish settlement. I'll look to see if I can find it.
 
Any article on the topic written by journalist Gwynne Dyer is fuckin' gold in my book. Though they don't deal exclusively with the topic, his books "With Every Mistake" and "Crawling from the Wreckage" are both solid as hell.

I'd imagine you'd get a fair bit from "The Mess They Made", too.

Now, how "fair and balanced" you call his articles depends on your metric for such things, but... eh. I highly doubt I'm-a find anyone around here (Mike?) interested in talking about Gwynne fucking Dyer.

Which is a shame.

Because Gwynne fucking Dyer is awesome.

EDIT: Prioritize "With Every Mistake" above the others; that's his best book, as far as I'm concerned.
 
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Avi Shlaim is my #1 author on the topic. He's an Israeli historian.

All should read "The Iron Wall."

There is an interesting, but very hard to find book, by a mentor of mine. It describes his time in the IDF during the first intifadah. Gave me a side to the story that I may not have thought of. Author is Dr. Aaron Wolf, book is called "A Purity of Arms-An American in the Israeli Army".

But truly, first and foremost, Avi Shlaim. Amazing read.
 
[quote name='berzirk']Avi Shlaim is my #1 author on the topic. He's an Israeli historian.

All should read "The Iron Wall."

But truly, first and foremost, Avi Shlaim. Amazing read.[/QUOTE]

I'll admit, the bolded part made me go "uhhhhh" at first glance but I'm glad I looked into it more. I'll have to track down some of his books.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus'].I really do not know much about the region, the conflict or their history. I know the basics about it being the a Holy Land for multiple religions and Israels expanding...but not a lot more. I really hate when I realize I am ignorant[/quote]

heh... I remember a thread where you stood with the Helen Thomas's of the world and I argued with it all, claiming you didin't know anything, but...

So, asking here...anyone have any good recommendations on movies/books that do a good job at presenting both sides/a fair look of the history of this conflict?
Thanks!
Click to expand...

..but I can't dwell on it given this^^^. I applaud your efforts to learn more about it. You are forgiven.



But, I have to mention one thing: I traveled in and around Israel and have to say that the land there near the Mediterranean is really really nice compared to the desert and rocky regions surrounding it (except areas along the sea from Alexandria to Beirut.)So I understand, that just based on the quality of the land, beaches, and adjacent sea, the grounds would be worth a medieval or imperialistic war in their own right. But then you add in the religious significance of it all. And, strictly for the preservation of said religious sites, there is no question that the Israelis perform a way better job with maintenance, upkeep, information, etc. compared to the Arabs. When I visited holy sites controlled by arabs, it often cost me a few dollars and they were clearly less well maintained than the free, clean, and well preserved holy sites in possession of the Israelis. It was really startling and so for the benefit of all religions and the world's tourists, it is better to have the sites preserved by the Israelis than any other group. I've never heard anyone else involved in the discussion mention this but I feel it is a salient point. Instead of asking who's entitled to the region, ask who will be more responsible of the region and its many historic landmarks.
 
Back them because they're better curators. Fascinating.

Sort of a related tangent: What is up with the Israeli military? People say it's the best in the world but that can't be, the USA's is isn't it? Maybe they mean best trained.

From my very cursory knowledge of the conflict, it is best summarized as a religous land dispute. It's two different sides' holy land, and both want it, and won't ever seem to stop fighting over it.
 
[quote name='pittpizza']Back them because they're better curators. Fascinating.

Sort of a related tangent: What is up with the Israeli military? People say it's the best in the world but that can't be, the USA's is isn't it? Maybe they mean best trained.

From my very cursory knowledge of the conflict, it is best summarized as a religous land dispute. It's two different sides' holy land, and both want it, and won't ever seem to stop fighting over it.[/QUOTE]

IMO the religious aspect is a factor, but it's really not what this is all about. It's a land grab by everyone involved, from the British and French, to the Jews (pre-dating Israel) and Arabs. It's about access to water and natural resources, it's about historical imperialism. Muslims and Jews had lived side by side in harmony for years. The Crusades started the divide, then in modern history, meddling from outside of the region created the problems we have today. Before the creation of Israel, I'm sure there were some skermishes, but overwhelmingly Jew and Arab lived side by side in peace.

I haven't traveled to Israel, have dear Jewish and Arab friends who have, and they all come back feeling very sad, and ashamed of the current status. Both sides are to blame, which IMO makes it even more despicable that the US so thoroughly endorses one side over the other.
 
I don't know the name of the author but there is a book out there on the history or Zionism, how it first started. I heard an interview with the author and it sounded quite good. One of the surprises is that most Ashkenazi Jews DIDN'T want to take Israel by force. They believed God would grant it to them again.
I would also argue one of the problems with the Israeli conflict is the prejudice that some European Jews harbor towards Arabs in general, including Arab Jews. Considering most of Israel is likely headed by European Jews(see: White) you can see the problem.
 
[quote name='Sarang01']I would also argue one of the problems with the Israeli conflict is the prejudice that some European Jews harbor towards Arabs in general, including Arab Jews. Considering most of Israel is likely headed by European Jews(see: White) you can see the problem.[/QUOTE]
The large recent influx (due to American fundie money) of ultra-nationalist Russian Jews is also starting to become a political problem.
 
Berzirk, I totally agree that the media coverage of the conflict seems very slanted.

Israel doesn't do itself any PR favors either. One rock comes over and they roll in with jet fighters and tanks. I think we've discussed this before in the vs. boards. How much should you take before attacking back?
 
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