Books on Palestine/Israel

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Color me shocked that Palestinians don't like Friedman, a Jew. /s

Call me shocked that Palestinians (myself) told this person to read books by Pappe AND Finkelstein/ also Jews. In fact those were pretty much the only authors I selected for OP- so miss me with your BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Friedman is good not necessarily for a pro-Palestinian slant but because he explains the situation in the ENTIRE region and how the dynamics between Arabs and Westerners and Muslims vs Christians/Jews and other Muslims plays a part in it. I suggested Chomsky and I agree with your Ilan Pappe suggestion as well for a pro-Palestinian POV but I wouldn’t write off Friedman for being more objective. He does help break down how vast the conflicts stretch and the multifaceted aspects of any potential conflict or solution.

I wouldn’t call Friedman “objective.” I would go so far as to call him islamophobic and anti Palestinian.

Respectfully,
A Palestinian.

Well, that’s your opinion. He spoke recently on a podcast saying he will be advocating with every ounce he has to not further fund Israel and especially not without caveats that Netanyahu cannot continue any additional settlements in the West Bank. To me, he’s not anti-Palestinian and he’s not pro-Israel. He is someone who understands you cannot simply transplant Western notions of government into the Middle East and call it good.

I think my “opinion” as a Palestinian would be more informed on who speaks to us as actual humans, but please, continue to talk down to me about my “opinion” on who is for Palestinian humanity and who isn’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Friedman is good not necessarily for a pro-Palestinian slant but because he explains the situation in the ENTIRE region and how the dynamics between Arabs and Westerners and Muslims vs Christians/Jews and other Muslims plays a part in it. I suggested Chomsky and I agree with your Ilan Pappe suggestion as well for a pro-Palestinian POV but I wouldn’t write off Friedman for being more objective. He does help break down how vast the conflicts stretch and the multifaceted aspects of any potential conflict or solution.

I wouldn’t call Friedman “objective.” I would go so far as to call him islamophobic and anti Palestinian.

Respectfully,
A Palestinian.

Well, that’s your opinion. He spoke recently on a podcast saying he will be advocating with every ounce he has to not further fund Israel and especially not without caveats that Netanyahu cannot continue any additional settlements in the West Bank. To me, he’s not anti-Palestinian and he’s not pro-Israel. He is someone who understands you cannot simply transplant Western notions of government into the Middle East and call it good.

I think my “opinion” as a Palestinian would be more informed on who speaks to us as actual humans, but please, continue to talk down to me about my “opinion” on who is for Palestinian humanity and who isn’t.

You and I don’t even disagree. My other recommendations are all Palestinian or pro-Palestinian books and authors. I am just saying Friedman is useful for getting people who are unfamiliar with the region and the complexity of any western-oriented solution being implemented up to speed on some basic knowledge. There are a lot of non-Palestinians who are unfamiliar with the scope of this and that’s not a bad place for them to start.

[Anonymous]

mandate days

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A long time ago, I liked from Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman. I generally don't disagree with what he's been writing in the NYT this week.

I know it's fiction but I want to start watching Fauda - friends have recommended it to me.

Coming on here to also recommend the Friedman book, which is a history of the region. It's also been years since I read it but gave me context that I previously was totally lacking.

[Anonymous]

My Promised Land by Ari Shavit

[Anonymous]

A peace to end all peace by David Fromkin
From Beirut to Jersualem by Thomas Friedman
My Promised Land by Ari Shavit
One Palestine Complete, Jews and Arabs under the British Mandate by Tom Segev
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe

[Anonymous]

Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land by David K. Shipler

Excellent Book! Highly recommend!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Color me shocked that Palestinians don't like Friedman, a Jew. /s

Call me shocked that Palestinians (myself) told this person to read books by Pappe AND Finkelstein/ also Jews. In fact those were pretty much the only authors I selected for OP- so miss me with your BS.

Finklestein is off his rocker and a communist (he has ulterior motives for his viewpoints). He condoned the Hamas attack on October 7th, to give you some perspective. I wouldn't believe anything he writes. He relies on Amnesty International Reports and the Goldstone Report which have been discredited as inaccurate and biased. IMHO he is evil incarnate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband is a Middle East expert, and he recommends From Beruit to Jerusalem to anyone who asks.

Well, I’m from Palestine and I don’t agree.FYI- most Palestinians can’t stand Friedman and I would recommend books that feel more representative to people in the region. I like the Norman Finkelstein suggestions, also Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe have “On Palestine.”Pappe and Chomsky also did “Gaza in Crisis” if you want more of a read that’s more connected to where things currently are. Someone also mentioned Remi Kanazi’s work and that’s good too.

Well I can tell you that anyone who is pro-Israel disagrees with your suggestions. Finklestein has condoned the atrocities on October 7th and I would label him and Chomsky antisemites for their works. Condoning the 10/7 atrocities pretty much says it all about Finkelstein.. I have not read the third so wouldn't know, but I am guessing he is the same ilk. That should give some perspective on anything these authors have to say about Israel. Friedman has never condoned atrocities in contrast. He is a very reasoned author and journalist and I would trust his take on the region over those other authors.

[Anonymous]

Okay so this is fiction, and is not some kind of survey of the conflict, but it is fiction with major political undertones and so good:

What we talk about when we talk about Anne Frank. It’s a collection of stories by Nathan Englander. The story Sister Hills references Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory from this sort of heart wrenching and yet contractual perspective. But all the stories are great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay so this is fiction, and is not some kind of survey of the conflict, but it is fiction with major political undertones and so good:

What we talk about when we talk about Anne Frank. It’s a collection of stories by Nathan Englander. The story Sister Hills references Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory from this sort of heart wrenching and yet contractual perspective. But all the stories are great.

Except The Diary of Anne Frank is most certainly not fiction and not a work I would even deem political! It’s a true account of a young girl hidden with her family by neighbors until tbe gestapo eventually sent her to a concentration camp to die. To say otherwise is to be a Holocaust denier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Promised Land by Ari Shavit

This was really, really good. Hard to read as a Jew, but excellent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Palestinian Walks by Raja Shehadeh - when I was a young journalist I was asked to write a review of this book and I met the author. I also met the Israeli embassy and asked about the assertions in the book. Their response was "yes, so what?"

Yeah that’s the thing. Israel knows exactly what it’s done to Palestinians. They do not care. They watch the suffering of Palestinians and absolutely are unmoved and unbothered- they don’t deny the Nakba, the ongoing occupation, none of it- they just refuse to be made to feel anything about it.

How much sympathy are you supposed to have for people who want to kill you? How much sympathy do Palestinians have for the Israelis who have been killed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay so this is fiction, and is not some kind of survey of the conflict, but it is fiction with major political undertones and so good:

What we talk about when we talk about Anne Frank. It’s a collection of stories by Nathan Englander. The story Sister Hills references Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory from this sort of heart wrenching and yet contractual perspective. But all the stories are great.

Except The Diary of Anne Frank is most certainly not fiction and not a work I would even deem political! It’s a true account of a young girl hidden with her family by neighbors until tbe gestapo eventually sent her to a concentration camp to die. To say otherwise is to be a Holocaust denier.

PP is not recommending The Diary of Anne Frank (which is indeed non-fiction.) They are recommending a different book (fiction) that has "Anne Frank" in the title:

What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, by Nathan Englander: https://www.amazon.com/What-Talk-About-When-Frank/dp/0307949605

(The short story that gave the book its title was first published in the New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/12/12/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-anne-frank)