The 1947 UN resolution to partition Palestine irrevocably changed the political landscape of the Middle East; giving rise to six full-fledged wars between Arabs and Jews; countless armed clashes; blockades; and terrorism; as well as a profound shattering of Palestinian Arab society. Its origins; and that of the wider Arab-Israeli conflict; are deeply rooted in Jewish-Arab confrontation and appropriation in Palestine. But the isolated occasions of violence during the British Mandate era (1920–48) suggest that the majority of Palestinian Arabs yearned to live and thrive under peaceful coexistence with the evolving Jewish national enterprise. So what was the real cause of the breakdown in relations between the two communities? In this brave and groundbreaking book; Efraim Karsh tells the story from both the Arab and Jewish perspectives. He argues that from the early 1920s onward; a corrupt and extremist leadership worked toward eliminating the Jewish national revival and protecting its own interests. Karsh has mined many of the Western; Soviet; UN; and Israeli documents declassified over the past decade; as well as unfamiliar Arab sources; to reveal what happened behind the scenes on both Palestinian and Jewish sides. It is an arresting story of delicate political and diplomatic maneuvering by leading figures—Ben Gurion; Hajj Amin Husseini; Abdel Rahman Azzam; King Abdullah; Bevin; and Truman —over the years leading up to partition; through the slide to war and its enduring consequences. Palestine Betrayed is vital reading for understanding the origin of disputes that remain crucial today.
#838851 in Books 2009-09-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.10 x 1.20 x 6.10l; 1.05 #File Name: 0300158467416 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Informational and DetailedBy Dustin SYou're not going to read this book for entertainment. You're going to read it for the impressive detail and historical breadth. I appreciate the way he has written the book with chapters divided by subject; then chronology; rather than chronology first.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. This book is fantastic. I taught a two-part series on the Great ...By Joshua SoehnerThis book is fantastic. I taught a two-part series on the Great Awakening and used this as my main resource. I would highly recommend this book.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy David P. BudenbenderGreat
