Enemies and Neighbors: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel, 1917-2017 Paperback – October 16, 2018

It’s pretty hard to write or read about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without politics getting involved. Someday, maybe there will be histories of the conflict that are regarded as neutral and objective, but I don’t think that would be possible today. In any event, Ian Black hasn’t written one. He doesn’t say so explicitly, but it seems pretty clear that he supports the Palestinian cause, at least in general. He believes, or seems to believe, that Zionism was incompatible from the start with Palestinian sovereignty and that the Palestinians were therefore justified in resisting the creation and entrenchment of the Jewish state. He quotes Palestinian and liberal Israeli thinkers and politicians respectfully, but he can’t fully hide his disdain for conservative or expansionist Israelis. He’s more evocative in his descriptions of the suffering of the dispossessed Palestinians than of the Israeli victims of terrorism. But none of this means that he’s written a bad book. On the contrary, it’s an excellent book. It’s thoroughly researched and well written. It sets out the long history of the conflict at a very good level of detail: enough facts that the reader can form his or her own opinion, but not so detailed that the reader gets lost. As for the politics, like I wrote before, you’ll never escape from politics in a book on this subject. For those who agree with Black’s politics, presumably you’ll like his book, but you might want to supplement it with some more pro-Israeli writings. And for those who disagree with Black’s politics, that’s not necessarily a good reason to avoid his book.

Several people have criticized the supposed anti-Jewish or anti-Israeli bias of author. There is no doubt that Ian Black favors the Palestinians, and his positions are clear throughout the book. However this does does not deter from the significant value of Black's book.He makes use of a wide variety of sources, from Jews, Arabs, and others, and he certainly criticizes the Palestinians when appropriate. What is valuable about the book is that it takes into account so many aspects of the conflict, with their many ramifications, and uses deep and broad research and reading to support this conclusions. So, the author has a point of view, and at times it made me shake my head critically, but Black does a good job in illuminating the conflict. Even those who know quite a bit about the conflict and how it has developed over time, will learn from this book. The writing is fluid and interesting. A strength of the book is that Black makes use of fiction and poetry from Palestinians and Jews, which enriches his narrative. A book worth reading, even if you disagree with Ian Black's specific arguments or his general point of view.

If you want to understand what is going on in the Middle East right now this book is a MUST read. Very well written and unbiased. Simply gives the facts in an easy read.

I was looking for a book that told more about recent times. This book went too far back for what I was looking for and was hard to follow. Not that that’s a bad thing it’s just not what I was looking for

Book arrived in perfect condition and I look forward to reading it.

An excellent overall review of the political machinations of the past 150 years in the Middle East.Mandatory reading for anyone wishing to speak intelligently on the topic.This tome does not analyse the wars in minutiae; find another book for that---good ones exist. This book deals with the nation building, the politics, the terrorism (on all sides) and the terrible ragedy.Seemingly well balanced and unbiased.Well constructed and well written.

For those of us that have no experience in the upheavals of life, this book can provide a bit of guidance.

Excellent refreshing book based on primary sources from both sides. Certainly not anti-Semitic nor pro-Palestinian. Must read for anyone who is interested in a balanced approach without emotional attachment to either side.