The Jordan Rift Valley, stretching from the Red Sea to Lebanon, was ripped open millions of years ago by vast forces within the earth. This geological object has also been a part of human history ever since early humans used it as a path in their journey out of Africa. And for a quarter of a century it has been part of the biography of Israeli writer Haim Watzman. In the autumn of 2004, as his country was riven by a fierce debate over its borders, Watzman took a two-week journey up the valley. Along the way he met scientists who try to understand the rift through the evidence lying on its surface--an archaeologist who reconstructs the fallen altars of a long-forgotten people, a zoologist whose study of bird societies has produced a theory of why organisms cooperate, and a geologist who thinks that the valley will some day be an ocean. He encountered people whose life and work on the shores of the Dead Sea and Jordan River have led them to dream of paradise and to seem to build Gardens of Eden on earth--a booster for a chemical factory, the director of a tourist site, and an aging socialist farmer who curates a museum of idols. And he discovered that the geography’s instability is mirrored in the volatility of the tales that people tell about the Sea of Galilee. As an observant Jew who has written extensively about science and scholarship, Watzman tries to understand the valley in all its complexity--its physical facts, its role in human history and his own life, and the myths it has engendered. He realizes that human beings can never see the rift in isolation. "It is the stories that men and women have told to explain what they see and what they do as a result that create the rift as we see it,” he writes. "As hard as we try to comprehend the landscape itself, it is humanity that we find. Watzman’s poetic evocation of the scientific and the human is a unique chronicle of a quest for knowledge. Finalist, Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, 2008.

""Communism and Nationalism in the Middle East"" is a comprehensive analysis of the impact of communism and nationalism on the political landscape of the Middle East. Written by Walter Z. Laqueur, a renowned historian and political analyst, the book explores the historical roots of communism and nationalism in the Middle East and their influence on the region's political and social development.The book begins with an overview of the historical context of communism and nationalism in the Middle East, including the impact of colonialism, the rise of Arab nationalism, and the emergence of Soviet influence in the region. Laqueur then delves into the specific cases of communism and nationalism in several Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.Throughout the book, Laqueur provides a nuanced and insightful analysis of the complex interplay between communism and nationalism in the Middle East. He examines the ideological and political differences between the two movements, their respective strengths and weaknesses, and the ways in which they have interacted with each other over time.Overall, ""Communism and Nationalism in the Middle East"" is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the political and social dynamics of this complex and volatile region. Laqueur's clear and concise writing style, combined with his deep knowledge of the subject matter, make this book an indispensable resource for scholars, policymakers, and general readers alike.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Book by Benvenisti, Meron

"Every day," writes Rabbi Meir Kahane, "the Arabs of Israel move closer to becoming a majority. Are we [Israel] committed to national suicide? Should we allow demography, geography, and democracy to push Israel closer to the abyss? According to Rabbi Kahane, Israel can only be sustained by a permanent Jewish majority and a small, insignificant, and placid Arab minority. But the Arab population continues to grown quantitatively and qualitatively. They feel no ties for a state that breathes Jewishness. They mockingly accept moneys from the National Insurance Institute for medical services, tuition, and social welfre; yet they pay little or no tax. Even worse, they openly vow to destroy the Jewish state - not with bullets or bombs, but with the democratic vote. Is there a solution? Rabbi Kahane insists, "Yes." In this explosive manifesto Rabbi Kahane sets forth the only plan to save Israel. Israeli Arabs would be given the options of accepting noncitizenship, leaving willingly with compensation, or being forcibly expelled without compensation. Controversial? Yes. Could the Arabs be convinced to leave? "We will not come to the Arabs to request, argue, or convince," says Kahane. "For Jews and Arabs in Israel there is only one answer - separation. Jews in their land, Arabs in theirs. Separation. Only separation." They Must Go was written in 1980 while Rabbi Meir Kahane was jailed in Ramle Prison by the Israeli government under an unprecedented administrative detention order that imprisoned him without a trial, without his being informed of any specific charge, and without opportunity to know or to question any alleged evidence or witness. His crime: his philosophy concerning the danger that exists to the state of Israel by the very presence of its large and growing Arab population. Rabbi Kahane's ideas were suppressed, twisted, defamed, and subjected to emotional and hysterical diatribes by people who were too frightened to consider them intelligently or to debate them intellectually. Is there a time bomb ticking away relentlessly in the Holy Land? Can Arabs and Jews ultimately coexist in a Jewish-Zionist state? Rabbi Kahane's only answer: "They Must Go."

Today, well over 150 million Europeans embrace a satanic view of the State of Israel. They believe that Israel is exterminating the Palestinians, despite their major population growth in recent decades. This current widespread demonic view of Israel is a new mutation of the diabolical beliefs about Jews which many held in the Middle Ages, and those promoted more recently by the Nazis and their allies. This demonization has been exacerbated by the consequences of the massive and non-selective immigration into Western Europe from Muslim countries, where incitement against Jews and Israel is often fanatic and ongoing. This collection of 57 interviews with scholars, politicians, and the like, depicts how extensive and intense the hate-mongering is. In his opening essay, Gerstenfeld puts the facts and views presented in the book into context. Praise: "Gerstenfeld helps us all understand the world's oldest hatred." -Rabbi Marvin Hier Founder and Dean Simon Wiesenthal Center "An authoritative, up-to-date guide to the cultural-ideological war being waged against the democratic Jewish state." -Prof. Frederick Krantz Director, Canadian Institute Jewish Research "This superb collection of incisive interviews on the demonization of Israel and the Jews should be located on the bookshelves of every committed Jewish activist." -Isi Leibler Former Chairman Governing Board World Jewish Congress "Manfred Gerstenfeld's collection of interviews on anti-Semitism and its proxy, delegitimization of Israel, is brilliantly selected and encyclopedic in scope. His own essay tying the interviews together makes this required reading for those who want to understand where anti-Semitism is today." -Richard B. Stone Chairman Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations

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I think that if persons concerned about the problems of Jews and Zionism could have but one book on the subject on their shelf, it should be this one.-- Socialism and Democracy The Zionist movement has had an unprecedented impact on global politics. The quest for a Jewish nation-state has caused turmoil and despair for the Palestinian people and has redefined what it means to be Jewish. Prominent American activist and intellectual Joel Kovel has written a critical exploration of the history of Zionism, arguing that a one-state solution is the only viable option for peace. Kovel recounts the extraordinary genesis of the Zionist movement and the explicit goals of its founders to create a Jewish-only state in Palestine. He examines how the pursuit of this path has changed the nature of Jewry, the fate of the Palestinian people, and the relationship between the Western and the Muslim world. Kovel's passionate concern for social justice makes him unable to accept the two-state solution for Palestine and Israel as a path to peace, and incapable of reconciling his Jewish identity with the goals of Zionism.

"Upheavals in the Middle East are challenging long held assumptions about politics and governance. The United States faces a moment of truth when half-measures, short-sighted expedients, and delays can no longer sustain an untenable status quo. This is as true in the Arab-Israeli peace process as it is in the politics of the Arab uprisings. This volume of essays argues that it is time for the United States to make a serious effort to advance Palestinian-Israeli peace. The issues in dispute are well-known, thoroughly debated, and resolvable. Intense, smart, determined, creative, and sustained American leadership can help regional leaders bridge their differences. "Now, nearly two decades after Rabin and Arafat shook hands on the White House lawn, Pathways to Peace offers a forward-looking assessment of the relationship between Israel, Palestine, and the United States. Through its diverse perspectives, this volume reminds us that cooperation must be rooted in shared responsibilities and shared benefits, and that the peace of the brave is still within reach." - President Bill Clinton "This is absolutely the right time for a book of essays that reinforce the urgent necessity of lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. This book is the antidote to the fatalism and pessimism; and above all it shows that with will and courage, a solution could be found. These are serious practical essays in policy making. You can agree or disagree with all that is written. But the essential urgency of the case is undeniable and brilliantly set out here. " - Tony Blair "Pathways to Peace is an extraordinary expression of wisdom on the urgent need for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Europeans, as well as Israelis, Palestinians and Americans, would be well-advised to act on the smart policy recommendations in this book. Imagine the impact on a rapidly changing Middle East of Israeli-Palestinian peace!" - Javier Solana, President of the ESADE Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics"--

First Published in 1994. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The idea of peace is always enchanting, for it encompasses the tranquility and serenity for which every human yearns. The nation of Israel has never known peace, but it dreams of peace. In practice Israel navigates between the poles of war and peace, with endless middle-of the-road situations like cease-fire, truce, armistice, and other temporary cessations of hostilities.The Oslo Idea traces the roots of the current campaign to delegitimize Israel. The campaign is not linked to Israeli resistance, to the absence of an acceptable settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, or to Israel's reluctance to abandon territory. It results from a change of tactics by the Palestinian leadership. Israeli argues that these tactics have been used to exhaust, reduce, and replace Israel rather than produce a compromise. Half the Palestinian people and other uncompromising Arabs and Muslims have stated that goal openly and act to achieve it.Raphael Israeli deconstructs the immense illusion of the Oslo peace accords, which initiated the so-called 'peace process.' He shows how Oslo lured a naive Israeli leadership into a trap. He shows how outside factors, bent on finding and supporting an evasive peace, have helped perpetuate the fiasco Oslo represents. He shows how Oslo's supporters have advanced the 'peace process' by coaxing and threatening Israel behind the scenes, and binding Israel alone with the Oslo commitments and their derivatives. More importantly, the author outlines and analyzes the basic and seemingly unbridgeable points of contention that remain: security, refugees, settlements, water, borders, and the status of Jerusalem itself.

The last 15 years have witnessed deep changes in Israeli society. The naive solidarity of the early years of statehood has given way to more sophisticated approaches, and the atmosphere of the 1990s was conducive towards critique and open discussion. It was the age of the Oslo Accords, of the large wave of immigrants from the Former Soviet Union, economic growth and prosperity, and a concurrent feeling of security and well-being. Israel was fast becoming a postcapitalist society, a junior member of the global village. This newly acquired self-assurance led to openness towards unorthodox views on basic questions of Israeli identity. This book attempts to come to grips with these themes. The complex texture of Israeli society is drawn here by a number of hands, presenting up-to-date approaches, as viewed by experts.

This is an advance review copy not for sale or further distribution.Palestine: The Legitimacy of Hope is Prof. Falk's first major publication since he completed his term as Special Rapporteur. In it, he gathers and presents the best of the essays on Palestine that he published on his personal blog in the years 2010-2014, with added commentary that provides a rich meta-narrative to the collection. Palestine: The Legitimacy of Hope powerfully shows how in recent years the Palestinians' struggle for rights and equality has become transformed into a "legitimacy struggle" of the kind that resulted in victory for many (but not all) of the most important other anti-colonial movements of the past century. Palestine: The Legitimacy of Hope follows eleven other path-breaking works on the intersection of law, rights, and society that Prof. Falk has authored. In Spring 2015, Just World Books will be publishing a companion volume that presents the essays he has written during this same tumultuous period about the rest of the Middle East, including Egypt, Syria, Libya, and Turkey.

In this political biography, Ilan Pappe traces the rise of the Husayni family of Jerusalem, who dominated Palestinian history from the early 1700s until the second half of the twentieth century.

This series of essays by the late Hal Draper looks at the Middle East conflict from what was long a unique point of view. Unlike traditional Zionism whose slogan "a land without people for a people without a land" made clear its intentions with regard to the Palestinians and unlike Arab nationalists who denied Israel's right to exist; Draper argued that only a binational state that recognized the rights of both people offered a way out

Shortlisted for the 2009 Governor General's Award for Non-Fiction Revised with new materials for this edition! "Covers all the main themes, ideas, places, and personalities that have shaped the area over the last century... Comprehensive, clearly written, with a strong perspective from years of experience comparing reality with rhetoric, American Raj is an excellent start for anyone wishing to understand the many inter-related ideas and forces that shape the US empire's actions in the Muslim World." -- Political Affairs "[T]he culmination of veteran journalist and foreign policy expert Eric S. Margolis' years of feet-on-the-ground reporting and analysis in the Middle East and Asia. Margolis brings the weight of his authority on the Middle East to answer the question, 'How did we get to this place in history and this ancient conflict be resolved?'" -- The Hill Times From the veteran journalist, Middle East policy expert and author of War at the Top of the World , comes a bluntly honest, provocative and timely book about how to resolve the conflict between the West and the Muslim world. American Raj takes the reader into the thinking and worldview of anti-Western Islamic radicals, identifies the historical, political and religious factors that have played such a huge role in generating mutual hostilities, and offers a blue print for resolution.

The end of the Cold War is reverberating far beyond its European theatre--in the killing fields of Afghanistan, Indochina, Central America, Southern Africa & the Horn of Africa. For some of these people, peace has come already; for others it is in sight. But beyond peacemaking lie the delicate challenges of peacekeeping & huge tasks of political, social, & economic reconstruction--& construction--in some of the world's poorest areas. The roots of these wars were deeply embedded in indigenous strife & history, but the superpowers--by adding their own ideological & strategic agenda--intensified the bloodshed. The results of the conflicts are appalling: nearly 3 million dead (2.5 million of them civilians); 16 million refugees; battered people, towns, & transport; a generation of unschooled youth & unskilled adults; countrysides planted with explosives; & teeming cities lacking in jobs & essential services. In this, the sixteenth volume in ODC's U.S.-Third World Policy Perspective series, the authors provide valuable timely analysis of the differing problems of polity & economy confronting the governments of these devastated countries. In short, Cyrus R. Vance calls it "a stimulating & provocative book."

Ben-Meir, Alon