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Books
This list has been developed from the book list in the resource section of the September/October 2003 issue of Church & Society magazine prepared by Mark Koenig of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, with assistance from a number of persons throughout the country who are involved in education and advocacy related to Israel/Palestine. It also includes books on a reading list compiled by PCUSA mission co-worker Doug Dicks for Catholic Relief Services' Visitor Outreach Program
The books included here are taken from the resource section of the September/October 2003 issue of Church & Society magazine and were prepared by Mark Koenig of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and Joel Hanisek, an intern with the Presbyterian U.N. Office in New York City, with assistance from a number of persons throughout the country who are deeply involved in education and advocacy around issues of Israel/Palestine. Amiry, Suad, Sharon and My Mother-in-Law: Ramallah Diaries (Pantheon Books, October 2005).
Amiry is a professor of architecture at Birzeit U. A clever and poignant description of the "absurdity" of living under curfew.
Armstrong, Karen , Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths (Knopf, 1996)
Venerated by three faiths, torn by conflict, conquered and rebuilt again and again, Jerusalem is a sacred city that has endured terrible tragedy. Armstrong traces the story of how Jews, Christians and Muslims have all laid claim to Jerusalem as their holy place, and how three radically different concepts of holiness have shaped and scarred the city for thousands of years.
Aruri, Naseer H., Dishonest Broker: The U.S. Role in Israel and Palestine (South End Press, 2003, $18.00)
Aruri, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and former co-chair of Amnesty International, focuses on the failed Middle East “peace process.” He argues that the special relationship between the United States and Israel turned into a strategic alliance after the 1967 war, ruling out a role of honest brokering for the United States and holding at bay all other would-be peacemakers and facilitators.
Asali, K. J., ed., Jerusalem in History (Olive Branch Press, 2000)
Scholars from seven countries explore the historical treatment of Jerusalem and its multi-religious tradition. The book ranges from the 4th century B.C.E. to the present, covering Jewish, Muslim and, to a lesser extent, Christian heritage. The essays present a balanced picture, helping to correct often distorted images of the city presented over the last 40 years.
Ateek, Naim, Justice and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation (Orbis Books, 1989)
Ateek, the first to articulate a Palestinian theology of liberation, explores the political as well as the religious, biblical and theological dimensions of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, seeking solutions based on the faith principles of justice, peace and nonviolence.
Ateek, Naim, Cedar Duaybis and Marla Schrader, eds., Jerusalem: What Makes for Peace? A Palestinian Christian Contribution to Peacemaking (Melisende, 1994).
Bailey, Betty Januarye and J. Martin Bailey, Who Are the Christians in the Middle East? (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2003).
This book, aimed at a non-academic audience, provides an affectionate introduction to the Christians in the Middle East by two “converts” from the United States. After several introductory articles, including a timeline than spans the years from Pentecost to 2002, the Baileys provide profiles of the diverse “families” of Christians in the region: Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical (Protestant), and Assyrian. They then provide a helpful review of the status of church-state relations in the countries of the Middle East.
Baskin, Gershom, Jerusalem of Peace (Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information, second printing, 1996; available for download from http://www.ipcri.org:80/)
Bennis, Phyllis, Understanding the Palestinian-Israel Conflict
If you have ever asked “Why is there so much violence in the Middle East?” or “What caused the current crisis?” or “Why is the current level of violence so intense?” this book is for you. Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and a longtime analyst of the Middle East and U.S. policy in the region, addresses these and other questions regarding the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Order online.
Benvenisti, Meron, Intimate Enemies : Jews and Arabs in a Shared Land (University of California Press, 1995)
Benvenisti, former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, raises the possibility of a confederation of Israel/Palestine, the only solution that he feels will bring lasting peace. He argues that the 7 million people in the territory between Jordan and the Mediterranean are mutually dependent regarding all spheres of human activity. Each side must accept the realities that two national entities live within one geopolitical entity and that their conflict will not be resolved by population transfers or land partition.
Benvenisti, Meron, Sacred Landscape: The Buried History of the Holy Land Since 1948 . (University of California Press, 2000)
Burge, Gary M., Whose Land? Whose Promise? What Christians Are Not Being Told About Israel and the Palestinians (Pilgrim Press, 2003)
Burge writes both as a New Testament professor at Wheaton College (Ill.) and as president of Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding, a Christian advocacy network. He explores questions such as, How do I embrace my commitment to Judaism to which I am bound by the Bible, when I sense in my deepest being that there is profound injustice afoot in Israel? How do I celebrate the birth of Israel when I also mourn the suffering of Arab Christians who are my brothers and sisters in Christ? and How do I love those Palestinian Muslims who are deeply misunderstood by all parties in this conflict? Aimed at a non-academic audience, this book provides both historical background and in-depth grappling with the biblical passages assumed by many to give the State of Israel unquestioned access to the land it now claims. He concludes, “I have been converted by experiences and study. … I am now persuaded that the church cannot be entangled in a political agenda in the Middle East that destroys people and pursues injustice” (p. 258).
Chacour, Elias, Blood Brothers (Chosen Books, 1984)
Chacour tells the story of personal pain and grief, courage and struggle, faith and hope that are embedded in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This book moves from the realm of politicians and mass movements and refocuses attention on the individuals who have been hurt by and caught in the chaos, tragedy and beauty that is Israel/Palestine.
Chacour, Elias, with Mary E. Januarysen, We Belong to the Land . (Marshal Pickering and Harper, 1990 (paper, 1992)
Chapman, Colin , Whose Promised Land? The Continuing Crisis Over Israel and Palestine, revised ed. (Baker, 2002)
Chapman, a British academic and currently a lecturer in Islamic studies at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, has provided a fully revised and updated edition of his earlier work, including new chapters on Zionism, Christian Zionism and dispensationalism. The historical overview covers four millennia (20th century B.C.E. to present). He also surveys both OT teachings on land, the perspectives of Jesus, and the major contemporary forces affecting the conflict today.
Christison, Kathleen, The Wound of Dispossession: Telling the Palestinian Story (Ocean Tree Books, 2002)
Christison tests readers' prejudices and preconceptions regarding Palestinians, including Palestinian Americans, and shatters the common assumptions, e.g., that Palestinians harbor an intrinsic hatred of Jews, that Palestinians want exclusive ownership of the land in the Middle East, and that Palestinians are all alike.
Church of Scotland, Committee on Church and Nation, Report to the General Assembly 2003, Theology of Land and Covenant, 2003
Cline, Eric H., Jerusalem Besieged: From Ancient Canaan to Modern Israel (University of Michigan Press, 2004).
Cragg, Kenneth, The Arab Christian in the Middle East. (Westminster-John Knox Press, 1991; Mowbray, 1992)
Curtiss, Richard H., and Januaryet McMahon, editors. Seeing the Light: Personal Encounters with the Middle East and Islam. (American Educational Trust, 1997)
Drummond, Dorothy W., Holy Land, Whose Land? Modern Dilemma, Ancient Roots (Educare Press, 2208 N.W. Market St., Suite 308, Seattle, WA 98107, 2002)
Ideal for students and other non-specialists, this resource by the former president of the National Council for Geographic Education attempts to bring understanding to the current conflict in the Middle East by surveying both the current situation and the 4,000 years of religion, conquest and politics that make the situation so unique. Much of the volume is devoted to photographs, maps, glossaries and extensive indexes.
Esposito, John, Countering the Hysteria: The Islamic Threat-Myth or Reality. (Oxford University Press, 1992, 1993) (Originally published as The Islamic Threat-Myth or Reality )
Farah, Najwa Kawar, A Continent Called Palestine. (Triangle, Holy Trinity Church, London, 1996)
Friedland, Roger and Richard Hecht, To Rule Jerusalem (Cambridge University Press, 1996).
Garnham, David and Mark Tessler, eds., Democracy, War and Peace in the Middle East , Indiana Series in Arab and Islamic Studies (Indiana University Press, 1995)
Golan-Agnon, Daphna, Next Year in Jerusalem: Everyday Life in a Divided Land (New Press, 2005, $24.95)
Golan-Agnon helped found B'Tselem and is active in the Israeli social justice community. A comprehensive, very honest look at the implications of being involved from a Jewish-Israeli perspective.
Gopin, Marc, Holy War, Holy Peace: How Religion Can Bring Peace to the Middle East (Oxford, 2002)
Gopin calls into question the style of peacemaking represented by the Oslo Accords and its complete neglect of the region's deep cultural and religious systems. These traditions can, he says, become an asset in the search for a final settlement that will provide secure, sovereign, democratic countries for both Arab and Jewish peoples.
Gorenberg, Gershom, The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount (The Free Press, 2000).
Halsell, Grace, Forcing God's Hand: Why Millions Pray for a Quick Rapture-And the Destruction of Planet Earth. (Crossroads International Publishing, 1999)
Hass, Amira, Drinking the Sea at Gaza: Days and Nights in a Land Under Siege, Elana Wesley and Maxine Kaufman-Lancaster, translators (Henry Holt and Co, © 1996, 1999)
Hass, an Israeli Jew, went to Gaza as a volunteer for human rights groups and then moved there as a journalist for Ha'aretz . In this first-person account of her life there she gives voice to ordinary Palestinians as the early euphoria in the days following the Oslo Accords gives way to despair and unrelenting hardship.
Hiro, Dilip, Sharing the Promised Land: A Tale of Israelis and Palestinians (Olive Branch Press, 1999).
This book profiles the main players in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and describes the competing claims of both sides to the “Promised Land.” The conflict between secular and religious groups in both Jewish and Arab communities is described in detail, as is the increasingly important role of Israeli Arabs in consolidating the peace process.
Kimball, Charles, When Religion Becomes Evil (HarperSanFrancisco, 2002)
Kimball, head of the Religion Department at Wake Forest University, is a leading expert on both religion and the Middle East. In this book, published on the heels of the September 11 attacks, he identifies five "danger signs" that signal corruption in religion: absolute truth claims, blind obedience, declaring an "ideal time," insistence that the end justifies any means, and holy war.
Laquer, Walter and Barry Rubin, eds., The Israel-Arab Reader: A Documentary History of the Middle East Conflict, sixth revised edition (Penguin Group, 2001)
This work covers the spectrum of the Israel-Arab conflict, from the earliest days through the wars and peacemaking efforts, up to the Israel-PLO and Israel-Jordan peace accords. It includes speeches, letters, articles, and reports dealing with all the major interests in the area from relevant political parties and world leaders.
March, Eugene, Israel and the Politics of Land: A Theological Case Study (Westminster/John Knox, 1994)
This small book, which includes questions for reflection and suggestions for additional reading with each chapter, deals with the difficult linkage between biblical faith and practical political reality. March, who was A. B. Rhodes Professor Old Testament and Professor of Bible at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary, critically examines the contemporary State of Israel v/v the biblical notion of land as “a divine loan intended for responsible (righteous and just) use” (Preface).
Morris, Benny, Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict 1881–2001 (Vintage Books, 2001)
Morris provides an inclusive history of the conflict, detailing relations between Israel and the Arabs since the beginning of the modern Zionist movement in the late 19th century. Relying on a vast array of Hebrew, Arabic, and English sources, he digs beneath politics and diplomacy to get at the broader social and cultural history of Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews.
Novick, Peter, The Holocaust in American Life. (Houghton Mifflin, 1999)
Pappe, Ilan, The Making of the Arab-Israeli Conflict 1947-1951. (I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd., 1994)
Pearlman, Wendy , Occupied Voices: Stories of Everyday Life from The Second Intifada (Thunder's Mouth Press/Nation Books, 2003, $14.95)
An American Jewish woman (a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard) from the Midwest visits the Middle East and secures a fascinating and informative array of first-person testimonies of Palestinian Christians and Muslims. Each interview is augmented by a succinct, contextual introduction.
Peters, F. E., Jerusalem: The Holy City in the Eyes of Chroniclers, Visitors, Pilgrims and Prophets from the Days of Abraham to the Beginnings of Modern Times (Princeton University Press, 1985).
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 209th General Assembly (1997), Resolution on the Middle East (Worldwide Ministries Division and Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, PC(USA), 1998; PDS 68-600-98-011, $3.00)
The 1997 resolution on the Middle East has been printed in user-friendly format for use by congregational and other study groups. Sections include perspectives and recommendations regarding political, economic, human rights, environmental and military co ncerns that continue to impact the Middle East peace process.
Quigley, John, Flight into the Maelstrom: Soviet Immigration to Israel and Middle East Peace. (Ithaca Press, 1997)
Raheb, Mitri, I Am a Palestinian Christian (Fortress Press, 1995)
Raheb, a Lutheran scholar, pastor and internationally known Palestinian church leader from Bethlehem, explores the recent history of Palestinian Christians and the complex meeting of the world's three major monotheistic religions in Israel/Palestine.
Reinhart, Tanya, Israel/Palestine—How to Win the War of 1948 (Seven Stories Press, 2002, $11.95)
The author, who is professor of linguistics and cultural studies at Tel Aviv University and the University of Utrecht, also writes a weekly column that provides a critical and alternative Israeli point of view in Yediot Aharonot, Israel's biggest daily. This book is a reasoned and urgent account of the failures of the Oslo Accords and an impassioned call for ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Rogan, Eugene L. and Avi Shlaim, eds., The War for Palestine: Rewriting the History of 1948 ( Cambridge University Press, 2001)
In this volume Rogan and Shlaim, two prominent scholars at the University of Oxford, bring together leading Israeli revisionist historians with noted Arab and Western scholars to explain the historical and contemporary significance of the 1948 War.
Rodgers, Peter, Herzl’s Nightmare: One Land, Two Peoples (Nation Books, 2005, $13.95 paperback).
A bleak perspective from the former ambassador from Australia.
Sachar, Howard M., A History of Israel from the Rise of Zionism to Our Time, second edition (Alfred A. Knopf, 1996)
A prominent Jewish-American historian analyzes Israeli history since 1974. Sachar concludes with chapters focusing on what he calls a tormented road to peace.
Said, Edward W., Culture and Resistance: Conversations with Edward W. Said (South End Press, 2003)
In his latest book of interviews Said discusses the centrality of popular resistance to his understanding of culture, history, and social change. He reveals his latest thoughts on the war on terrorism, the war in Afghanistan, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and lays out a compelling vision for a secular, democratic future in the Middle East -- and globally.
Said, Edward W., The End of the Peace Process: Oslo and After (Vintage Books, 2001)
In 50 essays (most of which were originally published in the Cairo Ahram Weekly and London's al-Hayat ), Said, a Palestinian writer and Columbia University literary scholar, offers a bleak view of the Middle East peace process since Oslo. Deeply concerned with the Palestinian people, Said argues that peace can exist only if equality and respect exist.
Said, Edward W., The Politics of Dispossession: The Struggle for Palestinian Self-Determination, 1969–1994, (Vintage Books, © 1994, 1995)
These brief political essays, all previously published in a variety of academic and international press resources, have two goals: to provide a record of 25 years of Palestinian struggle, and to remind readers that the struggle contains within it elements of reconciliation between Jews and Palestinians. “Both peoples have to feel that they can and must live together as equals -- equals in rights, equals in history and suffering -- before a real community between the two peoples will emerge” (Introduction).
Segev, Tom, Jonothan Shainin and Roane Carey, eds., The Other Israel: Voices of Refusal and Dissent (New Press, 2002)
Israeli citizens speak out for peace and reconciliation, challenging the continued occupation of Palestinian territory and the failed policies of Ariel Sharon's government. The book poses the question: Are Israel's true supporters those who urge occupation and reprisal or those calling for reconciliation and a just settlement?
Shahak, Israel, and Norton Mizvinsky, Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel. (Pluto Press, 1999)
Shahak, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand Years. (Pluto Press, 1994)
Shipler, David K., Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land, revised edition (Penguin Books, 2002)
In portraits of Arabs and Jews from all walks of life and political perspectives, Shipler examines the “attitudes, images, and stereotypes that Arabs and Jews have of one another, the roots of their aversions, and the complex interactions between them.” The effects of war, nationalism, terrorism, religion, and history come to life, illuminated by insights drawn from Shipler's five-year residence in Jerusalem.
Shlaim, Avi, The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World (Norton and Co., 2001)
A scholarly, enlightening and readable work by a professor of international relations at St. Antony ’ s College, Oxford, this book traces the shifting policies of Israel toward the Palestinians and the Arab world at large. Herzl followed a policy that consciously sought to enlist the great powers -- Britain and later the United States -- while dismissing indigenous claims to sovereignty. This policy later changed to a stance of confrontation against the admittedly hostile surrounding Arab powers; this stance was controversial internationally and divided Israelis into hawk and dove factions. The need for compromise by both sides, which can lead to peace, continues.
Stein, Yael, ed., Land Grab: Israel's Settlement Policy in the West Bank (B'tselem, 2002)
This report, which is the continuation of several reports published by B'tselem in recent years, examines a number of aspects relating to Israeli policy toward the settlements in the West Bank, as well as East Jerusalem, and the result of this policy in terms of human rights and international law. Photographs, charts and maps are included.
Tivnan, Edward, The Lobby: Jewish Political Power and American Foreign Policy (Simon and Schuster, 1987)
Tivnan, a New York-based writer for television and other media, traces the Jewish lobby in the United States from World War II to the 1980s, when no one could run for national office without Jewish support. He concludes that U.S.-Israeli relations must be re-examined, along with the billions of dollars of aid. Only then, he says, can the United States take its place as an arbiter of peace. Only then will the interests of Israel, American Jews and U.S. foreign policy be served.
Wagner, Donald E., Anxious for Armageddon (Herald Press, 1995)
Don Wagner, Associate Professor of Religion and Executive Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at North Park University, traces his journey from a pro-Israel, conservative Armageddon theology to a more balanced understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the justice questions therein. Three chapters deal with the historical and contemporary dimensions of Christian Zionism. Two chapters offer biblical resources for a justice and peace perspective on issues of land, peoplehood, covenant, etc. The book provides an introduction to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with particular concern for Palestinian Christians. The book, $15.00 plus shipping, may be ordered direct from the Center; call 773-244-5786.
Wagner, Donald E., Dying in the Land of Promise , revised edition (Melisende, 2003)
The history of Palestinian Christianity is both tragic and inspiring. It also represents a community whose future in the "Land of Promise" can only be described as endangered, given the present rates of emigration, economic blight, and an all-too-delayed resolution to the decades-long political conflict. With a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Wagner envisions Palestinian Christians playing a pivotal role in building bridges of reconciliation. Order from North Park University, Center for Middle Eastern Studies; 3225 W. Foster Avenue Box 52; Chicago 60625; ( 773) 244-5785. $21.95 per copy, 5 or more at $20; 10 or more at $18.
Wasserstein, Bernard, Divided Jerusalem: The Struggle for the Holy City, 2nd edition (Yale University Press, 2002).
Wessels, Anton, Arab and Christian? Christians in the Middle East (Kok Pharos Publishing House, Netherlands, 1995)
Wessels provides a more academic and theoretical treatment of the Arab Christians throughout the Middle East who, facing immense challenges, must decide whether to survive with a fragile ghetto existence or develop as a true Arab church. |
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