Arabs and Israel for Beginners (Writers and Readers Series)

In addition to learning the reality behind Israeli policy, its formation and the part America plays in it, I also learned about the history of the Arab people, my ancestors, who the original Arabs where, what they were like, and where they were located. The book gives a detailed history of both peoples, from ancient times to the present. The book is perfect for those who need an introductory reading on the Middle East and its history, as the name implies.

I can understand why Zionists and Right Wingers would be angry with this book; it presents a contradiction to their most fundamental beliefs about the Middle East. It was written at a time when the media whitewashed everything Israel did to make it seem like self defense, a time not very different from now. Although the book does not go into very much detail about the American interventions in the Arab world, that would have made the book much more informative.

I suppose it is only natural that this book would be labeled as anti-Semitic; there are few books that give information about Israeli violence in the Middle East and escape that accusation. For example, the book, "They Dare to Speak Out," was labeled as anti-Semitic by many, even though the writer told of the shortcomings of both the Israeli and Arab governments.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the history of the Arab and Jewish world.

But Ron David fails to achieve a balance. While detailing many wrongs on the Zionist side, he fails to account for many wrongs committed on the Arab and Palestinian side -- from what I can tell, either oversimplifying complex conflicts in such a way as to render Arab and Palestinian forces as entirely innocent or well-intentioned, when they often were not; or ignoring major events altogether. For example, I cant remember one mention of Haj Amin El-Husseini, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.

Note also that this book only goes up to about the end of the first Intifada, so the events of the last few years are not covered.

Im still working to fact check this book. And Im also still trying to find a balanced account of the conflict that is completely honest about BOTH sides -- both their rights, and their wrongs, without resorting to that common tactic of intellectual cowards, e.g., racist or antisemitic attack.

But if you, like me, are looking for a balanced account -- this book aint it. Read it as an introduction to the "other" (non-Zionist) point of view on the Palestinian-Israeli crisis, but be prepared to search wider for complete truth. (If any of us should ever be so lucky as to find that scare commodity!)

For those insist on claiming that Ron David is Jewish, hes not, nor does he claim to be. On his own website (do a search on "Ron David"), he identifies himself as an "Arab in America" of Lebanese descent, and thus has good reason to be interested in the widespread pro-Israel and anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian bias in the U.S. Israel didnt exactly treat Lebanon well when it invaded it a few years ago. So I dont blame him at all for his viewpoint -- although he didnt achieve a balance, he sure did a lot better than most of the pro-Zionist accounts Ive ever come across.

In summary, I award this book 2 stars for offering information that few if any pro-Israel accounts provide about the less savory aspects of Israeli and Zionist history. Another 1 star for some good, if incomplete, analysis of how the world community failed European Jews and contributed to the Holocaust. I withhold 2 stars due to its relative silence on the less savory aspects of Palestinian and Arab actions in the conflict with Israel, and for dashing my hopes to finally finding a balanced account.