https://archive.org/details/ten-myths-about-israel-by-ilan-pappe-2017
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Ten Myths About Israel Paperback – 4 April 2017
by Ilan Pappe (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 531 ratings
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"Ilan Pappe is Israel's bravest, most principled, most incisive historian."
--John Pilger
"One of the most prominent Israeli political dissidents living in exile ... He is also one of the few Israeli students of the conflict who write about the Palestinian side with real knowledge and empathy."
--Avi Shlaim, Guardian
"Along with Edward Said, Ilan Pappe is the most eloquent writer of Palestinian history."
--New Statesman
"Ten Myths About Israel is a useful primer for people just becoming familiar with the Palestinian liberation struggle--but it is far more than that. It is also a valuable tool for veteran organizers seeking to explain cogently and simply how Israel's foundational myths and ongoing propaganda perpetuate the oppression of the Palestinian people."
--Electronic Intifada
"This book is an absolute must for an interested public, the political and the media class to understand what Israel is all about."
--American Herald Tribune
About the Author
Ilan Pappe is an Israeli historian and socialist activist. He is a professor with the College of Social Sciences and International Studies at the University of Exeter, Director of the university's European Centre for Palestine Studies, and Co-Director of the Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies. He is the author of the highly acclaimed The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine and The Idea of Israel--which was shortlisted for the JQ Wingate History Prize, as well as two co-authored projects with Noam Chomsky: On Palestine and Gaza in Crisis.
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Publisher : Verso Books (4 April 2017)
Language : English
Paperback : 192 pages
ISBN-10 : 1786630192
ISBN-13 : 978-1786630193
Dimensions : 13.97 x 1.4 x 21.08 cmBest Sellers Rank: 19,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)13 in History of Judaism
14 in Jewish Social Studies
48 in Middle Eastern Politics
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4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 531 ratings
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M. Webster
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on Israel/PalestineReviewed in the United States on 27 April 2024
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This is an important read for anyone who wants to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Very readable, very informative, and very well-researched by a renowned Israeli history professor.
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basico entender este libro para no caer en las redes de la propaganda.
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linda rogers
5.0 out of 5 stars A Jew Deconstructs Zionism
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 531 ratings
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Top review from Australia
Jennifer Harness
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in Australia on 5 June 2017
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Well written as usual.
One person found this helpful
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M. Webster
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on Israel/PalestineReviewed in the United States on 27 April 2024
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This is an important read for anyone who wants to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Very readable, very informative, and very well-researched by a renowned Israeli history professor.
6 people found this helpfulReport
J. Laiter
5.0 out of 5 stars IndispensableReviewed in Mexico on 20 April 2024
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basico entender este libro para no caer en las redes de la propaganda.
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linda rogers
5.0 out of 5 stars A Jew Deconstructs Zionism
Reviewed in Canada on 6 February 2024
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Courage comes from those with the most to lose. Like Schlomo Sand , Amos Os et al, Pappe is David with a slingshot, firing logic at Goliath, the construct of the military industrial complex, oligarchs who control the world and its diminished assets.
He provides a logical outline for the development of Zionism within colonialism, a concept that would eventually rid Europe of "others" and atone for the outrageous nemesis of power that was the Third Reich.
But no one asked the Palestinians if they would all move aside, abandon their paradisiacal realm, so the myth of reclaiming the desert would encourage Jews in the mythical diaspora to invest in a dream.
This is an inspiring notion but, Pappe argues coherently, a false one leading to the genocide we are witnessing, despair and resistance to tyranny described as anti-semitism, when many Jews claiming the right of return would never pass muster on a DNA origin test.
The two state solution is, he argues, a failed marriage. The only way for the Palestinians and settlers to survive intact is to live in peace, which is as true wherever there is war as it is in the holy land which, like all land belongs only to itself.
Pappe's book is another interesting and courageous plea for decency and the doctrine of moderate need, all things for all men and women, amen.
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7 people found this helpfulReport
stanpyw
5.0 out of 5 stars GoodReviewed in Germany on 7 April 2024
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Mo
5.0 out of 5 stars WowReviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 January 2024
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So much truth & interesting facts! A very good read this far
====
Verified Purchase
Courage comes from those with the most to lose. Like Schlomo Sand , Amos Os et al, Pappe is David with a slingshot, firing logic at Goliath, the construct of the military industrial complex, oligarchs who control the world and its diminished assets.
He provides a logical outline for the development of Zionism within colonialism, a concept that would eventually rid Europe of "others" and atone for the outrageous nemesis of power that was the Third Reich.
But no one asked the Palestinians if they would all move aside, abandon their paradisiacal realm, so the myth of reclaiming the desert would encourage Jews in the mythical diaspora to invest in a dream.
This is an inspiring notion but, Pappe argues coherently, a false one leading to the genocide we are witnessing, despair and resistance to tyranny described as anti-semitism, when many Jews claiming the right of return would never pass muster on a DNA origin test.
The two state solution is, he argues, a failed marriage. The only way for the Palestinians and settlers to survive intact is to live in peace, which is as true wherever there is war as it is in the holy land which, like all land belongs only to itself.
Pappe's book is another interesting and courageous plea for decency and the doctrine of moderate need, all things for all men and women, amen.
Read less
7 people found this helpfulReport
stanpyw
5.0 out of 5 stars GoodReviewed in Germany on 7 April 2024
Verified Purchase
G
Report
Mo
5.0 out of 5 stars WowReviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 January 2024
Verified Purchase
So much truth & interesting facts! A very good read this far
====
Ten Myths About Israel
The myths and reality behind the state of Israel and Israeli-Palestinian conflict—from “the most eloquent writer on Palestinian history” ( New Statesman )
In this groundbreaking book, published on the fiftieth anniversary of the Occupation, the outspoken and radical Israeli historian Ilan Pappe examines the most contested ideas concerning the origins and identity of the contemporary state of Israel.
The “ten myths” that Pappe explores—repeated endlessly in the media, enforced by the military, accepted without question by the world’s governments—reinforce the regional status quo. He explores the claim that Palestine was an empty land at the time of the Balfour Declaration, as well as the formation of Zionism and its role in the early decades of nation building. He asks whether the Palestinians voluntarily left their homeland in 1948, and whether June 1967 was a war of “no choice.” Turning to the myths surrounding the failures of the Camp David Accords and the official reasons for the attacks on Gaza, Pappe explains why the two-state solution is no longer viable.
In this groundbreaking book, published on the fiftieth anniversary of the Occupation, the outspoken and radical Israeli historian Ilan Pappe examines the most contested ideas concerning the origins and identity of the contemporary state of Israel.
The “ten myths” that Pappe explores—repeated endlessly in the media, enforced by the military, accepted without question by the world’s governments—reinforce the regional status quo. He explores the claim that Palestine was an empty land at the time of the Balfour Declaration, as well as the formation of Zionism and its role in the early decades of nation building. He asks whether the Palestinians voluntarily left their homeland in 1948, and whether June 1967 was a war of “no choice.” Turning to the myths surrounding the failures of the Camp David Accords and the official reasons for the attacks on Gaza, Pappe explains why the two-state solution is no longer viable.
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 2017
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About the author
Ilan Pappé
76 books1,093 followersIlan Pappé is a professor with the College of Social Sciences and International Studies at the University of Exeter in the UK, director of the university's European Centre for Palestine Studies, co-director of the Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies, and political activist. He was formerly a senior lecturer in political science at the University of Haifa (1984–2007) and chair of the Emil Touma Institute for Palestinian and Israeli Studies in Haifa (2000–2008).
Pappé is one of Israel's "New Historians" who, since the release of pertinent British and Israeli government documents in the early 1980s, have been rewriting the history of Israel's creation in 1948, and the corresponding expulsion or flight of 700,000 Palestinians in the same year. He has written that the expulsions were not decided on an ad hoc basis, as other historians have argued, but constituted the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, in accordance with Plan Dalet, drawn up in 1947 by Israel's future leaders. He blames the creation of Israel for the lack of peace in the Middle East, arguing that Zionism is more dangerous than Islamic militancy, and has called for an international boycott of Israeli academics.
His work has been both supported and criticized by other historians. Before he left Israel in 2008, he had been condemned in the Knesset, Israel's parliament; a minister of education had called for him to be sacked; his photograph had appeared in a newspaper at the centre of a target; and he had received several death threats.
Pappé is one of Israel's "New Historians" who, since the release of pertinent British and Israeli government documents in the early 1980s, have been rewriting the history of Israel's creation in 1948, and the corresponding expulsion or flight of 700,000 Palestinians in the same year. He has written that the expulsions were not decided on an ad hoc basis, as other historians have argued, but constituted the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, in accordance with Plan Dalet, drawn up in 1947 by Israel's future leaders. He blames the creation of Israel for the lack of peace in the Middle East, arguing that Zionism is more dangerous than Islamic militancy, and has called for an international boycott of Israeli academics.
His work has been both supported and criticized by other historians. Before he left Israel in 2008, he had been condemned in the Knesset, Israel's parliament; a minister of education had called for him to be sacked; his photograph had appeared in a newspaper at the centre of a target; and he had received several death threats.
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July 13, 2018
This is a short book but dense, like a black hole from which no light can escape. These ten myths have been, according to Ilan Pappe, promoted and repeated so often they have been accepted as facts, and he intends to disprove each one of them. The ten myths are divided into FALLACIES OF THE PAST (6 of those), FALLACIES OF THE PRESENT (3 of those) and LOOKING AHEAD (one final myth). I could understand the myths of the past reasonably well, but I got lost in the present and baffled by the future. Pretty much like everyone else, then.
We will start with the easy stuff. You’ve heard of the slogan “a land without people for a people without land”. It was coined not by Zionists but by Christians in the mid 19th century - the type of prophecy-minded Christians who wanted to see the Jews re-established in Palestine so that the Last Days and the Second Coming and so forth could happen. The prophecies required the Jews to return first. Later the Zionists took up the slogan. It breaks down into two myths :
1. Palestine was an Empty Land.
Well, of course, it wasn’t. The theory in the 19th & early 20th centuries was that the Ottoman empire had neglected Palestine and the land was turning back into desert and the population dwindling away. Pappe flatly contradicts this and claims a proto-Palestinian identity was being formed just prior to the first Zionist settlements. Anyway, this was obviously a myth.
2. The Jews were a People without Land.
Pappe gets all bogged down here. Were “the Jews” one people? Well – they thought they were! But really, did they share the same DNA with those who were kicked out of Palestine by the Romans in the first century? Well, who could possibly know? Were there a whole lot of non-Zionist Jews? Sure. Pappe could easily have reframed this as : were the Jews an identifiable people who did not have their own nation state? And could hardly have answered “no they weren’t”. In this sense, of course, the Jews were no more hard done to politically than all the other submerged nations of the world (Kurds, Catalans, Sikhs, Uigars, the list is a long one). For me, then, this myth was not obviously a myth.
3. Zionism is Judaism.
Meaning : Jews are Zionists. Pappe here investigates the strong Jewish opposition to Zionism. These anti-Zionists said that Zionisn would only exacerbate the pogroms and antisemitism in the various European countries, for example, by calling into question Jewish patriotism to their current countries. Anyhow, with all radical ideas, I was not surprised to find it was profoundly controversial. Pappe never convinced me that the majority of Jews have sought to equate Zionism with Judaism.
4. Zionism is not Colonialism.
Pappe unfortunately does not indicate how or by whom these ten myths are promoted. I can’t believe anyone would be able to straight-facedly say that Zionism was not a form of colonialism. The Jewish settlers displaced the original population – one way or another – just as the European settlers displaced the native populations of north and south America, Australia and New Zealand. Okay, there is an argument based on religion which says that the Palestinian people, in fact, were the colonists, because they took over when the Jews were ejected by the Romans. And the land really belongs to the Jews, because the Bible says so. Just as the Bible says that the Jews were given permission by God to take over Palestine (the Biblical land of Canaan) from its aboriginal inhabitants. (See the Book of Judges if you want to read the gruesome details.)
What the Bible confirms is that the Jewish people were always temporary and uncertain occupants of this land.
5. The Palestinians Voluntarily Left their Homeland in 1948.
Pappe says :
The official Israeli line has not changed for years : the Palestinians became refugees because their leaders, and the leaders of the Arab world, told them to leave Palestine before the Arab armies invaded and kicked out the Jews, after which they could then return. But there was no such call – it is a myth invented by the Israeli foreign ministry
Pappe plunges into massively contentious stuff here (okay, the WHOLE BOOK is contentious, I know) when he says
half of those who became refugees – hundreds of thousands of Palestinians – had been expelled before the war had even commenced. Moreover, I claim that the war was initiated by Israel in order to secure the historical opportunity to expel the Palestinians.
7. Israel is the Only Democracy in the Middle East.
A curious chapter. He does not talk about voters, political choice or fair and transparent elections at all. He talks about the crushing of the Palestinian people’s human rights, and says that no society can be called a democracy which tolerates such abuses. I can’t agree with that. Yes, these abuses are real and terrible. But what about the USA and UK carrying out an invasion of Iraq without UN sanction? That’s pretty serious. Could be called anti-democratic, in Pappe’s sense. Leading to the question – are there any actual real democracies at all? (The answer is probably Sweden, it always is.)
Three of these myths were really complicated, too much for this review (the 1967 War, the Oslo Accords, the Gaza Strip) leaving one last one –
10. The Two States Solution is the Only Way Forward.
He ends the book on a completely gloomy note. The Two States solution, he says, means what the South African apartheid system used to call bantustans – it would be disconnected enclaves of territory set aside for the Palestinian people with no real political rights attached. I.e. the non-Israeli state in the two states solution would not really be a state. He makes no mention of any alternative.
I was trying to enlighten myself a little bit about this whole subject but as usual feel like I got my head caught in a cement mixer.
We will start with the easy stuff. You’ve heard of the slogan “a land without people for a people without land”. It was coined not by Zionists but by Christians in the mid 19th century - the type of prophecy-minded Christians who wanted to see the Jews re-established in Palestine so that the Last Days and the Second Coming and so forth could happen. The prophecies required the Jews to return first. Later the Zionists took up the slogan. It breaks down into two myths :
1. Palestine was an Empty Land.
Well, of course, it wasn’t. The theory in the 19th & early 20th centuries was that the Ottoman empire had neglected Palestine and the land was turning back into desert and the population dwindling away. Pappe flatly contradicts this and claims a proto-Palestinian identity was being formed just prior to the first Zionist settlements. Anyway, this was obviously a myth.
2. The Jews were a People without Land.
Pappe gets all bogged down here. Were “the Jews” one people? Well – they thought they were! But really, did they share the same DNA with those who were kicked out of Palestine by the Romans in the first century? Well, who could possibly know? Were there a whole lot of non-Zionist Jews? Sure. Pappe could easily have reframed this as : were the Jews an identifiable people who did not have their own nation state? And could hardly have answered “no they weren’t”. In this sense, of course, the Jews were no more hard done to politically than all the other submerged nations of the world (Kurds, Catalans, Sikhs, Uigars, the list is a long one). For me, then, this myth was not obviously a myth.
3. Zionism is Judaism.
Meaning : Jews are Zionists. Pappe here investigates the strong Jewish opposition to Zionism. These anti-Zionists said that Zionisn would only exacerbate the pogroms and antisemitism in the various European countries, for example, by calling into question Jewish patriotism to their current countries. Anyhow, with all radical ideas, I was not surprised to find it was profoundly controversial. Pappe never convinced me that the majority of Jews have sought to equate Zionism with Judaism.
4. Zionism is not Colonialism.
Pappe unfortunately does not indicate how or by whom these ten myths are promoted. I can’t believe anyone would be able to straight-facedly say that Zionism was not a form of colonialism. The Jewish settlers displaced the original population – one way or another – just as the European settlers displaced the native populations of north and south America, Australia and New Zealand. Okay, there is an argument based on religion which says that the Palestinian people, in fact, were the colonists, because they took over when the Jews were ejected by the Romans. And the land really belongs to the Jews, because the Bible says so. Just as the Bible says that the Jews were given permission by God to take over Palestine (the Biblical land of Canaan) from its aboriginal inhabitants. (See the Book of Judges if you want to read the gruesome details.)
What the Bible confirms is that the Jewish people were always temporary and uncertain occupants of this land.
5. The Palestinians Voluntarily Left their Homeland in 1948.
Pappe says :
The official Israeli line has not changed for years : the Palestinians became refugees because their leaders, and the leaders of the Arab world, told them to leave Palestine before the Arab armies invaded and kicked out the Jews, after which they could then return. But there was no such call – it is a myth invented by the Israeli foreign ministry
Pappe plunges into massively contentious stuff here (okay, the WHOLE BOOK is contentious, I know) when he says
half of those who became refugees – hundreds of thousands of Palestinians – had been expelled before the war had even commenced. Moreover, I claim that the war was initiated by Israel in order to secure the historical opportunity to expel the Palestinians.
7. Israel is the Only Democracy in the Middle East.
A curious chapter. He does not talk about voters, political choice or fair and transparent elections at all. He talks about the crushing of the Palestinian people’s human rights, and says that no society can be called a democracy which tolerates such abuses. I can’t agree with that. Yes, these abuses are real and terrible. But what about the USA and UK carrying out an invasion of Iraq without UN sanction? That’s pretty serious. Could be called anti-democratic, in Pappe’s sense. Leading to the question – are there any actual real democracies at all? (The answer is probably Sweden, it always is.)
Three of these myths were really complicated, too much for this review (the 1967 War, the Oslo Accords, the Gaza Strip) leaving one last one –
10. The Two States Solution is the Only Way Forward.
He ends the book on a completely gloomy note. The Two States solution, he says, means what the South African apartheid system used to call bantustans – it would be disconnected enclaves of territory set aside for the Palestinian people with no real political rights attached. I.e. the non-Israeli state in the two states solution would not really be a state. He makes no mention of any alternative.
I was trying to enlighten myself a little bit about this whole subject but as usual feel like I got my head caught in a cement mixer.
February 20, 2020
Great book!! In it, Ilan Pappé (the Israeli historian born in occupied Haifa) exhausts ten myths on which the Zionist occupation state was founded, and which are repeated by the political, military and academic elites and the international Zionist media around the clock to manipulate public opinion. He destroys them one by one with evidence from the writings of the first founders of the Zionist movement. And the correspondence of the English diplomats in the Levant at the end of the nineteenth century until the writings of the Jewish New Historians - of whom Ilan is considered one of the most famous - to expose crimes, correct perceptions, and declare what he truly sees.
Thanks to his specialization and being a son of the environment, the writer excelled in embarrassing these myths and exposing their falsehood and their inability to withstand the facts that he successively dismisses whenever he spreads a myth for discussion.
Ilan divided the book into ten sections, which are:
*Lies and fallacies of the past*
1- Palestine was a land without a people
2- The Jews were a people without a land
3- Zionism is Judaism
4- Zionism is not an occupation-settlement project
5- The Palestinians left their lands voluntarily in 1948
6- The 1967 war was a “necessary war”
*Lies and fallacies of the present*
7- Israel It is the only democracy in the Middle East.
8- Oslo myths
9- Myths about Gaza
*Lies and fallacies of the future*
10- The two-state solution is the only way out of the issue.
I highly recommend the book, especially for hitting the new Zionists in the face - this is first - and then for Easterners or Westerners who do not know the issue except through the media, which is subject to the influence of the Zionist lobbies, if not owned by them... and even for those who know the issue and are fighting for it. ..
In short, it is a book that should be in every library..
Rating: 4.5/5
#I may translate some quotes and add them later
Thanks to his specialization and being a son of the environment, the writer excelled in embarrassing these myths and exposing their falsehood and their inability to withstand the facts that he successively dismisses whenever he spreads a myth for discussion.
Ilan divided the book into ten sections, which are:
*Lies and fallacies of the past*
1- Palestine was a land without a people
2- The Jews were a people without a land
3- Zionism is Judaism
4- Zionism is not an occupation-settlement project
5- The Palestinians left their lands voluntarily in 1948
6- The 1967 war was a “necessary war”
*Lies and fallacies of the present*
7- Israel It is the only democracy in the Middle East.
8- Oslo myths
9- Myths about Gaza
*Lies and fallacies of the future*
10- The two-state solution is the only way out of the issue.
I highly recommend the book, especially for hitting the new Zionists in the face - this is first - and then for Easterners or Westerners who do not know the issue except through the media, which is subject to the influence of the Zionist lobbies, if not owned by them... and even for those who know the issue and are fighting for it. ..
In short, it is a book that should be in every library..
Rating: 4.5/5
#I may translate some quotes and add them later
April 7, 2019
“History lies at the core of every conflict. A true and unbiased understanding of the past offers the possibility of peace. The distortion or manipulation of history, in contrast, will only sow disaster.”.
What an amazing book!
Maybe it is the best book I’ve read so far that tackled the Palestinian issue.
In this book, the most important and widespread myths about Israel were uncovered, and the counter arguments were masterly illustrated. And it is important to notice that the author of this book is not a Palestinian or an Arab. He is an Israeli historian, and he knows what he’s talking about.
I found so many passages that deserve quoting, and I highlighted them all. And I think it’s a shame that such a wonderful book is not translated yet into Arabic. I think everyone MUST read it.
This wouldn’t be the only book I read for Ilan Pappe. This year I must read most of his books. Last night I watched some of his interviews and debates, and I loved him even more.
“History lies at the core of every conflict. A true and unbiased understanding of the past offers the possibility of peace. The distortion or manipulation of history, in contrast, will only sow disaster.”.
What an amazing book!
Maybe it is the best book I’ve read so far that tackled the Palestinian issue.
In this book, the most important and widespread myths about Israel were uncovered, and the counter arguments were masterly illustrated. And it is important to notice that the author of this book is not a Palestinian or an Arab. He is an Israeli historian, and he knows what he’s talking about.
I found so many passages that deserve quoting, and I highlighted them all. And I think it’s a shame that such a wonderful book is not translated yet into Arabic. I think everyone MUST read it.
This wouldn’t be the only book I read for Ilan Pappe. This year I must read most of his books. Last night I watched some of his interviews and debates, and I loved him even more.
March 6, 2024
Ten Famous Misconceptions about Israel is a book by Ilan Bayah, an Israeli writer and historian. In this book, he has tried to explain the ten lies that have been repeated by the media and have been cited in various negotiations and have even been accepted by various governments. This falsification of history, which includes both the roots and the identity of the Israeli regime, has come to Israel's aid many times and has given it the legitimacy it originally lacked. Ornamental, fake and artificial legitimacy
, in general, perhaps the mentioned lies can be divided into three categories: history and narrative, identity and ideology, and the current conflict and solution, but perhaps their division is based on the criteria of time, that is, the lies that have passed include, legends about the present and lies about the future are more correct.
Among these lies and legends, the first category, i.e. history and narrative, can be considered more important than the rest because they target Israel's identity and foundation. These myths include: Palestine was an empty land, Jews were a people without a land, Zionism is Judaism, Zionism is not colonialism, Palestinians voluntarily left their homeland in 1948, and the June 1967 war was the only option and a forced choice. become
Repetition of these myths and then acceptance of them caused repeated violations of the rights of millions of Palestinian residents, and then they were displaced and deprived of almost all their human rights, and in the later stages, it was even like a license to massacre them, and on the other hand, to Israelis. Has given the upper hand in all cases.
The second part or the myths of the present includes chapters on Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, myths about the Oslo Accords and myths about Gaza. In recent years, perhaps the acceptance of democracy in Israel has faced very serious challenges, especially after the nation-state law, which considers Israel to be exclusively a Jewish state and the Jews' right to self-determination, and only Hebrew as the official language. In fact, Israel is like South Africa during apartheid, which officially divided its citizens into first and second degree.
Basis does not have a favorable opinion about the Oslo agreement and the moderate Israeli prime minister at that time, that is, Yitzhak Rabin. In the author's opinion, this agreement, in addition to not achieving much for the Palestinians, never considered the Oslo agreement as a real peace. And its main goal is to stabilize the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands. He also considers the Slora agreement to be a kind of master-servant relationship between the two sides, instead of creating a real partnership between Israel and the Palestinians.
The foundation believes that despite numerous peace conferences and treaties, Israel does not want real peace and its main goal is to stabilize the occupation of Palestinian lands and create a greater Israel. The author also does not consider the two-state solution to be possible anymore, and instead, wants to establish a single democratic state in Palestine where all citizens, whether Jewish or Palestinian, have equal rights.
Ilan Payeh, the author of the book, tried to challenge the common beliefs about Israel, of course in the West, and show a different face of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a face that is very different from what the media and news agencies portray to the nation. .
An image that considers Israel as the usurper of Palestinian land and Zionism as colonial and racist.
, in general, perhaps the mentioned lies can be divided into three categories: history and narrative, identity and ideology, and the current conflict and solution, but perhaps their division is based on the criteria of time, that is, the lies that have passed include, legends about the present and lies about the future are more correct.
Among these lies and legends, the first category, i.e. history and narrative, can be considered more important than the rest because they target Israel's identity and foundation. These myths include: Palestine was an empty land, Jews were a people without a land, Zionism is Judaism, Zionism is not colonialism, Palestinians voluntarily left their homeland in 1948, and the June 1967 war was the only option and a forced choice. become
Repetition of these myths and then acceptance of them caused repeated violations of the rights of millions of Palestinian residents, and then they were displaced and deprived of almost all their human rights, and in the later stages, it was even like a license to massacre them, and on the other hand, to Israelis. Has given the upper hand in all cases.
The second part or the myths of the present includes chapters on Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, myths about the Oslo Accords and myths about Gaza. In recent years, perhaps the acceptance of democracy in Israel has faced very serious challenges, especially after the nation-state law, which considers Israel to be exclusively a Jewish state and the Jews' right to self-determination, and only Hebrew as the official language. In fact, Israel is like South Africa during apartheid, which officially divided its citizens into first and second degree.
Basis does not have a favorable opinion about the Oslo agreement and the moderate Israeli prime minister at that time, that is, Yitzhak Rabin. In the author's opinion, this agreement, in addition to not achieving much for the Palestinians, never considered the Oslo agreement as a real peace. And its main goal is to stabilize the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands. He also considers the Slora agreement to be a kind of master-servant relationship between the two sides, instead of creating a real partnership between Israel and the Palestinians.
The foundation believes that despite numerous peace conferences and treaties, Israel does not want real peace and its main goal is to stabilize the occupation of Palestinian lands and create a greater Israel. The author also does not consider the two-state solution to be possible anymore, and instead, wants to establish a single democratic state in Palestine where all citizens, whether Jewish or Palestinian, have equal rights.
Ilan Payeh, the author of the book, tried to challenge the common beliefs about Israel, of course in the West, and show a different face of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a face that is very different from what the media and news agencies portray to the nation. .
An image that considers Israel as the usurper of Palestinian land and Zionism as colonial and racist.
February 5, 2024
When I ask about nominations for books about the Palestinian issue, Ilan Pappe is one of the first to nominate
a transparent and honest writer, and what is amazing about the matter is that he is an Israeli
who reveals in this book all the lies and their truth.
This book is sufficient and sufficient...
a transparent and honest writer, and what is amazing about the matter is that he is an Israeli
who reveals in this book all the lies and their truth.
This book is sufficient and sufficient...
November 1, 2017
During my undergraduate studies in law, I became intensely interested in the creation of, and the position of, Israel as a matter of public international law. Subsequently, I studied for my postgraduate studies in criminal law, where again, it was the nation of Israel that caught my eye. This time, I was interested from a position of international criminal law, and the complicity of the Israeli government in the international crime of apartheid. So, this year's paperback release of Pappe's "Ten Myths About Israel" caught my eye, and a brief glance through its contents page made me realise that I had to read this book.
The book comprises 10 chapters, and each chapter speaks to a myth and/or fallacy that is peddled as common knowledge pertaining to the discourse of Israel. Part I deals with the "fallacies of the past", whilst Part II deals with the "fallacies of the present". Finally, the single chapter Part III looks to the future. To anyone with a passing interest in international law, politics or history, none of these fallacies is anything new. However, what the book does do, is to condense the basic myths into easy to follow and well referenced chapters. This means that the book is ideal to a total newbie, whilst also containing supremely useful nuggets for the seasoned Israel/Palestine watcher.
Part I is split into 6 chapters. The first two are not hugely complex. The simple thrust of the argument is that Palestine was not empty. As the Ottoman Empire was collapsing, there was an important pan-Arab movement, seeking to create something akin to the United States. However, these federalist dreams were dashed by Anglo-French Imperialism. Thus, a more localised nationalism was born, and one of those national movements was Palestine (or South Syria). The first Zionist settlers knew they had arrived in to a populated country, and yet they continued to aggressively expound the myth that virgin land was awaiting cultivation. Whilst the second chapter deals with the notion that "Jews" did not have a homeland. Pappe debunks this wonderfully by pointing out that the Ashkenazi Jews were European, and had homes in Europe. The Mizrahi Jews also had homelands. In order to effectively peddle the myth, the would-be colonisers needed to rely on the Bible, and contemporary Christian support. Driven by anti-Semitism, and financial interests, we learn that "Zionism, as we can see, was therefore a Christian project of colonisation before it became a Jewish one." By relying on British support, the colonial mission was able to get off the ground.
Chapters 3 and 4 deal with the all-encompassing myth that conflates Zionism with Judaism, and that Zionism is not colonialism. The conflation is easily debunked as most Orthodox Jews were against Zionism at its inception. As Pappe puts it: "When Zionism made its first appearance in Europe, many traditional rabbis in fact forbade their followers from having anything to do with Zionist activists. They viewed Zionism as meddling with God's will to retain the Jews in exile until the coming of the Messiah." It was not until the mid-1950s that strong anti-Zionist tendencies would fade in the face of the realities on the ground. In order to debunk the myth of Zionism not being a colonial movement, Pappe points out that Palestinians were never allowed to resist their displacement through civil means. He documents the number of non-violent protests brutally crushed by the Israeli army. Alongside this, he debunks the myth that Palestinian resistance is driven by anti-Semitism: "The diaries of the early Zionists tell a different story. They are full of anecdotes revealing how the settlers were well received by the Palestinians, who offered them shelter and in many cases taught them how to cultivate the land."
Myths 5 and 6 deal with the "voluntary" departure of the Palestinians and how Israel had no choice but to fight the war of 1967. In 1937, Ben-Gurion had written numerous letters stating that it would be necessary to remove the Palestinians from their villages by force. This, coupled with how the UN peace committee effectively worked alongside Israel to ensure that Palestinian voices regarding their living situations in their own homes were never heard puts lie to the idea that this was a voluntary exodus. Through clever manipulation of Arab leaders, and by double crossing the Egyptians, Ben-Gurion pushed Israel in to a position where the 1967 war would happen. Taking an ever more aggressive and militaristic stance towards the Palestinians, the Israelis hoped for guerrilla retaliation from the Palestinians. When it inevitably came, the Israelis could paint the conflict as 'self-defence'. Subsequently, Israel seized swathes of land, including the West Bank and the Golan Heights.
Myth 7 is that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. This is a total fallacy, as Palestinians not incarcerated in the West Bank or Gaza Strip, who live within Israel proper, are denied basic rights. They have lesser access to labour, and they cannot purchase land. This basic denial of rights would suggest that this is no democracy, but given that any Jew may lay claim to Israeli citizenship, regardless of where they were born reveals that Israel is an ethnocracy, or an apartheid republic.
Myth 8 deals with the Oslo process, which Pappe demonstrates was designed by Israel to fail. The Israelis initially wanted to negotiate with the Jordanians (not the Palestinians), then decided to negotiate with the PLO. This led to an Israeli demand of 80% of the territory, with Palestinians to be siphoned off into small cantons (or Bantustans in apartheid parlance), denying Palestinians the right to travel between the cantons. The map would have resembled a Swiss cheese. Finally, whilst granting a "right of return" to any international Jew, Israel callously refused to countenance the notion that Palestinian refugees may want to return to their villages. Thus, to join the UN, the Israelis committed to the right of return, and reneged as soon as they were admitted to the UN.
Myth 9 deals with Gaza. Here Pappe destroys the notion that Hamas et al are salivating Islamist fundamentalists. They are, rather, non-secular people who mobilise regional particularities to resist a colonial occupation. They provide the Palestinians squeezed in to the ghetto of Gaza with medicine, welfare and schooling. In the face of this, the Israeli state controls the electricity and water supply of Gaza (so much for not being colonisers). Ultimately, it is Israeli policy to lay siege, deny access of food and medicine, and to economically destroy Gaza. This has led to the Israeli sponsored destruction of UNESCO Heritage sites in the name of their colonial project. In this manner, it is clear that whilst doing everything that can be done to undermine peace, provoking an armed response and then to respond with overwhelming force, declaring civilian structures such as schools and hospitals to be "barracks", another myth is peddled. That there is no one for Israel to negotiate peace with. This is by design, because on the ground, the Israeli state does not want peace.
The final myth deals with the "two-State solution", which is so flawed for all the reasons above. It is not deliverable, believable or sustainable. However, it salves Liberal, European consciences to continue to peddle this 'solution'. What is clear is that the "Jewish settlers are now an organic and integral part of the land. They cannot, and will not, be removed. They should be part of the future, but not on the basis of the constant oppression and dispossession of the local Palestinians."
This is an important book, and Pappe reveals the importance of BDS and other anti-imperialist policies that are slowly gaining ground in international civic societies. More and more people in States that support the Israeli government are aware as to what is being supported. This means that the status quo is time limited, and like apartheid in South Africa, the regime is living purely on borrowed time. For now, that status quo can be upheld by popular appeal to Islamophobia. Eventually, though, even this will have to wear thin.
Read this book, it is wonderful and cogently argued. Unashamedly partisan (it is anti-colonial), and with a wealth of resource to draw on. The numerous letters and diary entries that Pappe has found and presented to the reader is in itself a treasure trove of insight. This is an important book, read it.
The book comprises 10 chapters, and each chapter speaks to a myth and/or fallacy that is peddled as common knowledge pertaining to the discourse of Israel. Part I deals with the "fallacies of the past", whilst Part II deals with the "fallacies of the present". Finally, the single chapter Part III looks to the future. To anyone with a passing interest in international law, politics or history, none of these fallacies is anything new. However, what the book does do, is to condense the basic myths into easy to follow and well referenced chapters. This means that the book is ideal to a total newbie, whilst also containing supremely useful nuggets for the seasoned Israel/Palestine watcher.
Part I is split into 6 chapters. The first two are not hugely complex. The simple thrust of the argument is that Palestine was not empty. As the Ottoman Empire was collapsing, there was an important pan-Arab movement, seeking to create something akin to the United States. However, these federalist dreams were dashed by Anglo-French Imperialism. Thus, a more localised nationalism was born, and one of those national movements was Palestine (or South Syria). The first Zionist settlers knew they had arrived in to a populated country, and yet they continued to aggressively expound the myth that virgin land was awaiting cultivation. Whilst the second chapter deals with the notion that "Jews" did not have a homeland. Pappe debunks this wonderfully by pointing out that the Ashkenazi Jews were European, and had homes in Europe. The Mizrahi Jews also had homelands. In order to effectively peddle the myth, the would-be colonisers needed to rely on the Bible, and contemporary Christian support. Driven by anti-Semitism, and financial interests, we learn that "Zionism, as we can see, was therefore a Christian project of colonisation before it became a Jewish one." By relying on British support, the colonial mission was able to get off the ground.
Chapters 3 and 4 deal with the all-encompassing myth that conflates Zionism with Judaism, and that Zionism is not colonialism. The conflation is easily debunked as most Orthodox Jews were against Zionism at its inception. As Pappe puts it: "When Zionism made its first appearance in Europe, many traditional rabbis in fact forbade their followers from having anything to do with Zionist activists. They viewed Zionism as meddling with God's will to retain the Jews in exile until the coming of the Messiah." It was not until the mid-1950s that strong anti-Zionist tendencies would fade in the face of the realities on the ground. In order to debunk the myth of Zionism not being a colonial movement, Pappe points out that Palestinians were never allowed to resist their displacement through civil means. He documents the number of non-violent protests brutally crushed by the Israeli army. Alongside this, he debunks the myth that Palestinian resistance is driven by anti-Semitism: "The diaries of the early Zionists tell a different story. They are full of anecdotes revealing how the settlers were well received by the Palestinians, who offered them shelter and in many cases taught them how to cultivate the land."
Myths 5 and 6 deal with the "voluntary" departure of the Palestinians and how Israel had no choice but to fight the war of 1967. In 1937, Ben-Gurion had written numerous letters stating that it would be necessary to remove the Palestinians from their villages by force. This, coupled with how the UN peace committee effectively worked alongside Israel to ensure that Palestinian voices regarding their living situations in their own homes were never heard puts lie to the idea that this was a voluntary exodus. Through clever manipulation of Arab leaders, and by double crossing the Egyptians, Ben-Gurion pushed Israel in to a position where the 1967 war would happen. Taking an ever more aggressive and militaristic stance towards the Palestinians, the Israelis hoped for guerrilla retaliation from the Palestinians. When it inevitably came, the Israelis could paint the conflict as 'self-defence'. Subsequently, Israel seized swathes of land, including the West Bank and the Golan Heights.
Myth 7 is that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. This is a total fallacy, as Palestinians not incarcerated in the West Bank or Gaza Strip, who live within Israel proper, are denied basic rights. They have lesser access to labour, and they cannot purchase land. This basic denial of rights would suggest that this is no democracy, but given that any Jew may lay claim to Israeli citizenship, regardless of where they were born reveals that Israel is an ethnocracy, or an apartheid republic.
Myth 8 deals with the Oslo process, which Pappe demonstrates was designed by Israel to fail. The Israelis initially wanted to negotiate with the Jordanians (not the Palestinians), then decided to negotiate with the PLO. This led to an Israeli demand of 80% of the territory, with Palestinians to be siphoned off into small cantons (or Bantustans in apartheid parlance), denying Palestinians the right to travel between the cantons. The map would have resembled a Swiss cheese. Finally, whilst granting a "right of return" to any international Jew, Israel callously refused to countenance the notion that Palestinian refugees may want to return to their villages. Thus, to join the UN, the Israelis committed to the right of return, and reneged as soon as they were admitted to the UN.
Myth 9 deals with Gaza. Here Pappe destroys the notion that Hamas et al are salivating Islamist fundamentalists. They are, rather, non-secular people who mobilise regional particularities to resist a colonial occupation. They provide the Palestinians squeezed in to the ghetto of Gaza with medicine, welfare and schooling. In the face of this, the Israeli state controls the electricity and water supply of Gaza (so much for not being colonisers). Ultimately, it is Israeli policy to lay siege, deny access of food and medicine, and to economically destroy Gaza. This has led to the Israeli sponsored destruction of UNESCO Heritage sites in the name of their colonial project. In this manner, it is clear that whilst doing everything that can be done to undermine peace, provoking an armed response and then to respond with overwhelming force, declaring civilian structures such as schools and hospitals to be "barracks", another myth is peddled. That there is no one for Israel to negotiate peace with. This is by design, because on the ground, the Israeli state does not want peace.
The final myth deals with the "two-State solution", which is so flawed for all the reasons above. It is not deliverable, believable or sustainable. However, it salves Liberal, European consciences to continue to peddle this 'solution'. What is clear is that the "Jewish settlers are now an organic and integral part of the land. They cannot, and will not, be removed. They should be part of the future, but not on the basis of the constant oppression and dispossession of the local Palestinians."
This is an important book, and Pappe reveals the importance of BDS and other anti-imperialist policies that are slowly gaining ground in international civic societies. More and more people in States that support the Israeli government are aware as to what is being supported. This means that the status quo is time limited, and like apartheid in South Africa, the regime is living purely on borrowed time. For now, that status quo can be upheld by popular appeal to Islamophobia. Eventually, though, even this will have to wear thin.
Read this book, it is wonderful and cogently argued. Unashamedly partisan (it is anti-colonial), and with a wealth of resource to draw on. The numerous letters and diary entries that Pappe has found and presented to the reader is in itself a treasure trove of insight. This is an important book, read it.
November 30, 2023
For Israel, it’s all about casting “doubt on the Palestinian’s moral right to the land.” The estimate of percentage of Jews in Israel prior to the rise of Zionism is “2 to 5 percent”. Without the sudden increase in Zionism, “Palestine would probably have gone the same way as Lebanon, Jordan, or Syria.” Zionism can be found connected to the revival of Hebrew and writings about the need to “colonize Palestine”. Zionist records show its natives as “an obstacle, an alien and an enemy.” “Most of the Kibbutzim were built on destroyed Palestinian villages whose populations had been expelled in 1948.” Imagine the U.S. press saying this amazing Gandhi quote: “Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English, or France to the French. It is wrong and inhuman to impose the Jews on the Arabs…Surely it would be a crime against humanity to reduce the proud Arabs so that Palestine can be restored to the Jews partly or wholly as their national home.” JFK was “the last American President to refuse to provide Israel with vast military aid; after his assassination, the faucet was fully open.”
Ethnic cleansing is an action to drive out an ethnic group from an area to make it a pure one, one example is the Nakba. The Jewish state was born out of sin, out of ethnic cleansing - the Nakba destroyed 531 Palestinian villages in seven months and taught a very important lesson: you can “expel half a country’s population and destroy half its villages with impunity”. What a great moral example Israel is provided the world. Once Israel decided to deny citizenship to Palestinians coupled with zero chance for independence, it knew Palestinians would be left “without basic civil and human rights”. This was only tolerated because Israel said it’s temporary, ha ha... Meanwhile world leaders have no problem referring to Gaza as the world’s largest open-air prison. A prison for non-citizens who had their citizenship stolen for settler-colonial racist reasons. Those who left before ’48 can’t ever see those family members who remained in Israel. How thoughtful. Hebron averages 100 attacks per month by settlers against locals. When Palestinians fight back, all Palestinian residential areas become treated as combat zones which gives us these figures: “15,00 Palestinians have been killed ‘unlawfully’ by Israel since 1967. Among them were 2,000 children.” “Since 2000, almost 4,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, half of them children.” “Hamas is branded as a terrorist organization, both in the media and in legislation. I will claim it is a liberation movement, and a legitimate one at that.” In closing the author Ilan would like you to remember: to redefine “Zionism as colonialism, Israel as an apartheid state, and the Nakbah as ethnic cleansing.” Great writing - Noam loves Ilan’s work for good reason.
Ethnic cleansing is an action to drive out an ethnic group from an area to make it a pure one, one example is the Nakba. The Jewish state was born out of sin, out of ethnic cleansing - the Nakba destroyed 531 Palestinian villages in seven months and taught a very important lesson: you can “expel half a country’s population and destroy half its villages with impunity”. What a great moral example Israel is provided the world. Once Israel decided to deny citizenship to Palestinians coupled with zero chance for independence, it knew Palestinians would be left “without basic civil and human rights”. This was only tolerated because Israel said it’s temporary, ha ha... Meanwhile world leaders have no problem referring to Gaza as the world’s largest open-air prison. A prison for non-citizens who had their citizenship stolen for settler-colonial racist reasons. Those who left before ’48 can’t ever see those family members who remained in Israel. How thoughtful. Hebron averages 100 attacks per month by settlers against locals. When Palestinians fight back, all Palestinian residential areas become treated as combat zones which gives us these figures: “15,00 Palestinians have been killed ‘unlawfully’ by Israel since 1967. Among them were 2,000 children.” “Since 2000, almost 4,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, half of them children.” “Hamas is branded as a terrorist organization, both in the media and in legislation. I will claim it is a liberation movement, and a legitimate one at that.” In closing the author Ilan would like you to remember: to redefine “Zionism as colonialism, Israel as an apartheid state, and the Nakbah as ethnic cleansing.” Great writing - Noam loves Ilan’s work for good reason.
November 15, 2023
Well, following the issue of Palestine and Israel, I came to this book!
The Israeli author has a very good command of the religious and historical issues of conflicts, and if you really want to know the story of the formation of Israel and Zionism quickly and briefly, I suggest you to read it.
The text of the book is fluent and with many sources and different arguments, it mentions and discusses many important incidents and decisions in the last hundred years that are influential in the history of Israel.
The author's idea is that, first of all, a series of false stories and propaganda by the world media regarding Israel and Palestine should be discarded so that the two sides can reach a common language and solve this problem. He himself mentions 10 examples of these legends, for example, one of them is that the Israelis claim that this place was barren before they came, and with their arrival and the hardships they put in, they made agriculture flourish and settled it.
Honestly, I doubted whether to give four or five stars to this book, those four stars are because of the translator of the book,
I had met Mr. Vahid Khadhab in other books. Fortunately or unfortunately, they translate a lot of books in my favorite fields, and they like to comment and express grace, and I would like them to write a book if they have so much to say, so that everyone can use them, instead of using quotation marks in the original text to make the reader's father. . From a certain point on, the eye gets used to not seeing the quotation marks, and in some places it really has no effect on the text, but they still like to say something.
The Israeli author has a very good command of the religious and historical issues of conflicts, and if you really want to know the story of the formation of Israel and Zionism quickly and briefly, I suggest you to read it.
The text of the book is fluent and with many sources and different arguments, it mentions and discusses many important incidents and decisions in the last hundred years that are influential in the history of Israel.
The author's idea is that, first of all, a series of false stories and propaganda by the world media regarding Israel and Palestine should be discarded so that the two sides can reach a common language and solve this problem. He himself mentions 10 examples of these legends, for example, one of them is that the Israelis claim that this place was barren before they came, and with their arrival and the hardships they put in, they made agriculture flourish and settled it.
Honestly, I doubted whether to give four or five stars to this book, those four stars are because of the translator of the book,
I had met Mr. Vahid Khadhab in other books. Fortunately or unfortunately, they translate a lot of books in my favorite fields, and they like to comment and express grace, and I would like them to write a book if they have so much to say, so that everyone can use them, instead of using quotation marks in the original text to make the reader's father. . From a certain point on, the eye gets used to not seeing the quotation marks, and in some places it really has no effect on the text, but they still like to say something.
December 9, 2023
First of all, free Palestine, and end settler colonialism. My rating of this book is not reflective of my view on the topic, but simply on the book itself.
An ambitious book that seeks, in under 200 pages, to dispel ten myths about Israel. In doing this it argues strongly and convincingly against the perception of Israel as 'the only democracy in the region', a humane state or a victim of it's Arab neighbours. It presents Israel as the brutal, settler colonialist apartheid state that it is. It also paints an accurate and damming picture of the western countries that are complicit in its atrocities and human rights abuses, while simultaneously being critical of Arab leaders it killed for such reasons as Gaddafi and Saddam.
That said it isn't really that good a book. It makes a lot of blunders and for an author who is supposedly a world class academic, Pappe doesn't really impress me with his academic rigor or scholarship. . I would highly recommend 'The Hundred Years War on Palestine: a History of Settler Colonial Conquest and resistance' as a far better, more comprehensive, better written and more rigorous text.
The book rails against harmful Zionist propoganda including the view that 'Palestine was empty', or that 'the people there were not the natives' or that 'the Palestinians left voluntarily' among others. It also shows that the Israeli government uses peace talks, withdrawals from land, ceasefire and negotiations to its advantage in the creation of a larger, greater Israel which aims to take all of the Palestinian land with none or its people.
That said while the book was succinct and made its points well, it was far from perfect. At times, it felt as though the author was peddling half truths, skewed points of view or engaging in semantics.
I would argue that he failed to prove that 'the Jews were a people without a land'. He first argues that 'the Jews were not really a people' which is a little strange. They may have been disparate, may have spoken different languages but this isn't really a convincing argument at all. Not only did they have a common mythos, a religion that bound them, some degree of similar traditions, they also all lived a minorities experience with varying degrees of discrimination worldwide. It would be like arguing that Armenians or Kurds or Copts or Assyrians or Tibetans aren't really a people. It is undoubtedly true that Jews were discriminated against in Europe and beyond
He also at one point claims that Saddam's brutal gassing of the Kurds was learnt from Europeans. Even an amateur historian in that region could tell you that the Ottoman Empire carried out three separate genocides (Greek, Armenian and Assyrian) in that region which were more brutal and intensive than any of the abhorrent actions taken by Europeans in the area. But this doesn't fit the narrative.
In the conclusion he urges Arabs to stop being primitive and barbaric, are they? Are they really? A whole book about the brutality of the Israeli state and then a conclusion mentioning Arab primitivism?
He seeks to portray Hamas as legitimate freedom fighters, and some may seem as such but their original charter did include subjugation of non Muslims, complete annihilation of the Israeli state and the suppression of all communist/'western' groups in the region among other wild perspectives. Their actions this year have also been crimes against humanity and it's hard to see them as such.
The author is extremely critical of the two state solution and possibly rightfully so.
I conclusion I agree completely with the thesis of this book and it's conclusion but don't think it is that great. I would highly recommend 'The Hundred Years War on Palestine: a History of Settler Colonial Conquest and resistance' as a far better, more comprehensive, better written and more rigorous text.
An ambitious book that seeks, in under 200 pages, to dispel ten myths about Israel. In doing this it argues strongly and convincingly against the perception of Israel as 'the only democracy in the region', a humane state or a victim of it's Arab neighbours. It presents Israel as the brutal, settler colonialist apartheid state that it is. It also paints an accurate and damming picture of the western countries that are complicit in its atrocities and human rights abuses, while simultaneously being critical of Arab leaders it killed for such reasons as Gaddafi and Saddam.
That said it isn't really that good a book. It makes a lot of blunders and for an author who is supposedly a world class academic, Pappe doesn't really impress me with his academic rigor or scholarship. . I would highly recommend 'The Hundred Years War on Palestine: a History of Settler Colonial Conquest and resistance' as a far better, more comprehensive, better written and more rigorous text.
The book rails against harmful Zionist propoganda including the view that 'Palestine was empty', or that 'the people there were not the natives' or that 'the Palestinians left voluntarily' among others. It also shows that the Israeli government uses peace talks, withdrawals from land, ceasefire and negotiations to its advantage in the creation of a larger, greater Israel which aims to take all of the Palestinian land with none or its people.
That said while the book was succinct and made its points well, it was far from perfect. At times, it felt as though the author was peddling half truths, skewed points of view or engaging in semantics.
I would argue that he failed to prove that 'the Jews were a people without a land'. He first argues that 'the Jews were not really a people' which is a little strange. They may have been disparate, may have spoken different languages but this isn't really a convincing argument at all. Not only did they have a common mythos, a religion that bound them, some degree of similar traditions, they also all lived a minorities experience with varying degrees of discrimination worldwide. It would be like arguing that Armenians or Kurds or Copts or Assyrians or Tibetans aren't really a people. It is undoubtedly true that Jews were discriminated against in Europe and beyond
He also at one point claims that Saddam's brutal gassing of the Kurds was learnt from Europeans. Even an amateur historian in that region could tell you that the Ottoman Empire carried out three separate genocides (Greek, Armenian and Assyrian) in that region which were more brutal and intensive than any of the abhorrent actions taken by Europeans in the area. But this doesn't fit the narrative.
In the conclusion he urges Arabs to stop being primitive and barbaric, are they? Are they really? A whole book about the brutality of the Israeli state and then a conclusion mentioning Arab primitivism?
He seeks to portray Hamas as legitimate freedom fighters, and some may seem as such but their original charter did include subjugation of non Muslims, complete annihilation of the Israeli state and the suppression of all communist/'western' groups in the region among other wild perspectives. Their actions this year have also been crimes against humanity and it's hard to see them as such.
The author is extremely critical of the two state solution and possibly rightfully so.
I conclusion I agree completely with the thesis of this book and it's conclusion but don't think it is that great. I would highly recommend 'The Hundred Years War on Palestine: a History of Settler Colonial Conquest and resistance' as a far better, more comprehensive, better written and more rigorous text.
July 24, 2020
Ten Myths About Israel is a non-fiction book by Ilan Pappe, an Israeli Jewish historian. In this work, Pappe, as the book title would suggest, deconstructs ten commonly-accepted myths about Israel, from before the state's official creation to today.
I annotated the hell out of this book...to the point where I'm not sure I could ever read this copy again.
I've only recently started investing a significant amount of time in reading non-fiction works, and, while I do consider myself more educated than the typical American on the Israel-Palestine conflict, this is my first official read in my journey to gain an even better and more comprehensive understanding of the present-day colonial movement.
With that preface, I found this book very easily digestible. It covers a significant period of time in history, and while I think it's fair to assume Pappe didn't include extensive detail about every single incident he addressed, there definitely was a considerable amount of information in this short read. But I found that I didn't struggle to engage with everything with Pappe presented.
I essentially agree with the majority Pappe's claims, at least at this point in my knowledge - I, of course, plan to keep educating myself - but I found that though I held some of the ideas, Pappe, unsurprisingly, clearly stated the justification of these views / the flaws, or even blatant lies, in the counterpoints.
I really can't complain about any aspect of this work. I'm so appreciative that my friend recommended it, because I truly value this book.
I annotated the hell out of this book...to the point where I'm not sure I could ever read this copy again.
I've only recently started investing a significant amount of time in reading non-fiction works, and, while I do consider myself more educated than the typical American on the Israel-Palestine conflict, this is my first official read in my journey to gain an even better and more comprehensive understanding of the present-day colonial movement.
With that preface, I found this book very easily digestible. It covers a significant period of time in history, and while I think it's fair to assume Pappe didn't include extensive detail about every single incident he addressed, there definitely was a considerable amount of information in this short read. But I found that I didn't struggle to engage with everything with Pappe presented.
I essentially agree with the majority Pappe's claims, at least at this point in my knowledge - I, of course, plan to keep educating myself - but I found that though I held some of the ideas, Pappe, unsurprisingly, clearly stated the justification of these views / the flaws, or even blatant lies, in the counterpoints.
I really can't complain about any aspect of this work. I'm so appreciative that my friend recommended it, because I truly value this book.
====
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