Oh, and absolutely anything by the late ***Majid Khadduri*** for the height of scholarship that's still accessible for the general reader. Even his older not up-to-date stuff is worthwhile. For ex, I just got an old book on The Gulf War for $7, which doesn't come close to dealing w/today's situation in Iraq, but all the historical and cultural background is dateless, totally relevant.

posted by EncompassedRunner at 2:49 pm (EST) on Apr 25, 2008

Well in that case, a very general overview that gives a general framework to later fill in the details is The Arab World: An Illustrated History by Kirk H. Sowell, it's only 293 pages too, I think you'd find it very helpful. It is not overly academic in tone, a pleasurable read with moderate amount of endnotes at the end of the chapter rather than end of book. moderate size glossary of Arabic terms, index, and bibliography. Very readable.

Another even tinier book (190 small dimension pages), and one that I just think is fantastic is out-of-print, but used (even Like New) copies are available, and I very highly recommend it is: Islam: An Illustrated Historical Overview, which thogh written by Walter M. Weiss is part of Barron's Crash Course Series. It's just amazing for such a tiny book. Very accurate, and even though it has the word "Islam" in the title, like the title says it's a historical overview, I would most definitely recommend this book. Glossy pages (no bleed-through for highlighting) with lots of great photos. Really, get this book.

Any of the books by Philip K. Hitti are enjoyable, worthwhile reads, too. And his books are often easily found in the local libraries, and his book on the Druzes just came out in a new edition last month.

posted by EncompassedRunner at 12:36 pm (EST) on Apr 25, 2008

Despite claims, I know of no such thing as an impartial book when it comes to the Israel-Palestinian conflict (or more accurately, Arab/Islamic-Israel Conflict). There are two radically different narratives (though within each there is variation, any appearance of "impartiality" upon closer inspection is not). So my attempt to respond impartially is by giving you one suggestion from each side. Both books are very likely available in your public library. Unfortunately, both books are rather large, but not dry and can be read by chapters. I'd suggest looking at them and based on your impression, deciding which to purchase.

For the so-called "pro-Israel" side, A Durable Peace: Israel and Its Place Among the Nations by Benjamin Netanyahu. It's out-of-print, but I notice Amazon Marketplace has copies starting at under $3! Huge bargain. Not only full of scholarship from someone who's held a variety of positions within the government over the years (and who has a good chance of being prime minister again), but it's actually very well-written and enjoyable to read. It only takes you through the year 2000, though, but it's the best.

On the so-called "pro-Palestinian" side, I'd recommend Palestinian Identity by Rashid Khalidi (who you may have heard mentioned in connection w/Barack Obama). I personally find his narrative revisionist and not persuasive, but I appreciate his attempt at scholarship unlike others on that side of the issue, *AND* most importantly, I find it a giant red herring--i.e., the conflict is just not about Palestinian nationality, not about creation of a Palestinian state. Key Palestinian documents specifically say as much -- not just Hamas documents, but those of the Palestinian Authority and PLO as well. (You can find such documents on the internet or get them in one place in Arlene Kushner's book: Disclosed: Inside the Palestinian Authority and the PLO, which covers the main Palestinian players, organizations, documents, and historical events, though it stops with 2004.)

Important: What the conflict really is about, what it will come down to is religion. Therefore, to really understand it, besides the two historical narratives I've represented above, I very strongly suggest familiarizing yourself with Islam. First, get a Qur'an that has no notes to bias you one way or the other and read it -- it's short, only the size of the New Testament. Immediately you will realize it makes nearly no sense, but I suggest you stick with it and read it through. Then you will be wondering "huh?" --but this is fine and normal, the book is not chronological and though the book has a historical context, the context is for the most part not found in the book (!), so you will then be ready to get the context, which can be found in what's called the Sunnah, which consists of the Hadith and Sira -- much of this can be found online, but if you make it that far and get back to me, I'll suggest a few books. A good Muslim website is islamonline-dot-net (not "com"!), which offers a Sunni perspective.

Finally, as a Christian, I think the Biblical view of the whole situation is the one that has a track record of being 100% correct and so will continue to be correct in terms of what it prophesies will happen. Should you wish a Christian Zionist perspective, Elwood McQuaid's 2007 book For the Love of Zion is geared for the general reader and is a good starter book that packs a lot into a smaller size book. But even within Christendom there is a clear split between 2 views: dispensationalist (overwhelmingly pro-Israeli land rights) vs. covenantalist (sometimes called by names such as "replacement theology" or "reformed"), which tends to be either indifferent or anti-Israel. (I have a link to a sermon on the internet on the Abrahamic Covenant, which is what it all comes down to, if you want it.)

In sum, bottom line: learn the Bible and learn Islam and you'll understand the conflict; learn the history of the Levant ("Palestine"), the wars and land gained and lost after them, the UN resolutions and attempts at peace and it will help somewhat, but that's not the real problem. There are many videos on the internet that offer such historical overviews, too.

posted by EncompassedRunner at 2:00 am (EST) on Apr 24, 2008