Product Description

Ilan Pappe's book traces the history of Palestine from the Ottomans in the nineteenth century, through the British Mandate, the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, and the subsequent wars and conflicts which have dominated this troubled region. The second edition of Pappe's book has been updated to include the dramatic events of the 1990s and the early twenty-first century. These years, which began with a sense of optimism, as the Oslo peace accord was being negotiated, culminated in the second intifada and the increase of militancy on both sides. Pappe explains the reasons for the failure of Oslo and the two-state solution, and reflects upon life thereafter as the Palestinians and Israelis battle it out under the shadow of the wall of separation. As in the first edition, it is the men, women and children of Palestine who are at the centre of Pappe's narrative.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #223509 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
'Pappe's latest work will inspire ...' James Cullingham, Seneca College

'Along with the late Edward Said, Ilan Pappe is the most eloquent writer of Palestinian history. He is also one of the most scholarly ... here, for the first time, is a textbook on Palestine that narrates the real story as it happened - a non-Zionist version of Zionism ... To its credit, Cambridge University Press has published Pappe's pioneering and highly accessible work as an authoritative history.' New Statesman

'Ilan Pappe is a 'new historian' and this book is true to this label. It adopts a revisionist approach and it challenges the old ways in which the history of Palestine is written which makes it such an exciting read.' Ahron Bregman, King's College London, International Affairs

' ... Ilan Pappe has written a book that is lucid and forthright. It is a unique contribution to the history of this troubled land, and all those concerned with developments in the Middle East will have to read ... Ilan Pappe's book is a valuable contribution to the historical research of Palestine as a general survey for those studying the subject. Designed for students and general readers, the book's new approach to the analysis of well-known events will be of interest to academics, journalists, foreign-policy makers, and to all those concerned with Palestine's complex past and its uncertain future. The inclusion of illustrations, maps, short biographies, a glossary of terms, a bibliography, and a reliable index further increases the usefulness of the book.' Quarterly Journal of African and Asian Studies

About the Author
Ilan Pappe is Senior Lecturer in political science at Haifa University in Israel. He has written extensively on the politics of the Middle East, and is well known for his revisionist interpretation of Israeli history and as a critic of Israel's policies towards the Palestinians. His books include The Making of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1947-1951 (1992/4) and The Modern Middle East (2005).

Customer Reviews

History of Modern Palestine
This book corrects myths about the very, very early days of Zionism in Palestine, and continues to the current time. A must read for anyone with the slightest interest in how the Middle East is exploding, literally, every day. Peg McCormack

Good Book, but not for beginners
Professor Pappe has bravely attempted to pull together a history of Palestine that admits to bad faith on the part of the founders of Israel, and he finds some possibility for reconciliation between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Many people who think that they already know the truth will find much to dislike in this book. People who are willing to admit the humanity of the other side and the failings of their own will find a lot to like in this text.
However, for those looking for a basic introduction to the history of this area, this is NOT your book. Professor Pappe assumes a great deal of background knowledge on the reader's part. This is a challenging text. It shows, among many other things, a history of spontaneous cooperation between ordinary Jews and Moslems and how the leadership of the two groups undermined that cooperation for their own selfish ends. Professor Pappe gives us all some reason to hope that real history can provide a place for reconciliation.

Revisionist History? He Cites Himself!
This book is a sad example of revisionist history gone badly wrong. Pappe's perspective is a legitimate one to take - part of his argument is the oft-heard "Israelis stole Palestinian land" thesis. However Pappe fails to back up his ideas with any legitimate facts. Yasir Arafat was born in CAIRO, not Jerusalem. He "invents" the Tantura Massacre, which no major Israeli or Palestinian histories have EVER cited before his book. This is a book frought with unannounced bias and a sincere lack of good research (at certain points Pappe even cites himself in "works not yet published"). This is at best a poorly researched attempt to present the Palestinian arguments, and at worst a farce of lies.