Review of Benny Morris' New Book on the First Arab-Israeli War

by Charles Lenchner · 2008-12-01 07:36:00 UTC
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1948: A History of the First Arab Israeli War, by Benny Morris

Ami Isseroff of Middle East Web has laid out why this is an important book.

While this may not be the best possible book about the 1948 Arab Israeli War, it is probably the best comprehensive history we have now in English. It takes a giant step forward in presenting to English reading audiences of a new generation a more authentic, nuanced and balanced picture of "what really happened." If you are interested in the Arab-Israeli conflict at all, this book is a must read. For those who are just looking for spurious "evidence" and "talking points" to support an anti-Israel "narrative," this book still provides some interesting materials, just as it now provides fuel for one-sided Zionist advocates. Any reasonably balanced account can be deconstructed to suit the purposes of polemics. So if you are a fanatic, don't worry, you will get your money's worth and you won't have to change your ideas. For those who respect Morris as the dean of historians of the Israeli War of Independence (AKA First Arab Israeli War or 1948 Arab Israeli war) this book should change the perception of the "narrative" of this key event in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the understanding of what the conflict is really about and what Zionism is.

Based on my reading of his review, I might not like some of the conclusions Isseroff and Morris reach in the end. But I do respect the effort to uncover some version of the truth when it's based on facts and solid history, and not designed to serve an ideological task master.

Charles Lenchner
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