Middle East Books

Generals In The Cabinet Room: How The Military Shapes Israeli Policy by Yoram Peri (Professor of Political Sociology And Communication at Tel Aviv University) forcefully and persuasively argues the premise that while once Israel's military was the servant of its civilian political leadership, today it is the Israeli generals who have the lead in foreign and defense policymaking. The repercussions for Israeli--Palestinian relations, Israeli democracy, and other democracies are potentially earthshaking. Generals In The Cabinet Room traces recent military-political Israeli history with especial focus on the 1990's and beyond, and warns of a future in which democracy itself could potentially fall victim to too much militarization. Highly recommended.

Anyone seeking explanations for Israel's hasty and ill-considered decision to go to war against Hezbollah in Lebanon in July 2006 should begin with this outstanding book -- published just before the conflict -- as background. Yoram Peri is Israel's leading authority on civil-military relations. He writes presciently about the risks of allowing the military to monopolize Israel's intelligence apparatus, inviting generals into cabinet meetings to formulate policy, giving senior officers unlimited freedom to make media appearances, and encouraging a revolving door for ex-generals who retire to become politicians.

Peri convincingly analyzes the shifts in Israeli policies since the late 1980's as a reflection of the military leadership's changing perceptions of the country's security needs. His approach is subtle, recognizing that the generals first supported and advanced the Oslo peace process during the early 1990's before abandoning hope for peace with the Palestinians by the end of the decade. In each phase the views of the active and retired senior officers deeply influenced Israel's policy choices.

Peri concludes with a series of recommendations for reform, which, had they been in place when Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers, might well have produced a range of viable policy alternatives for the civilian leaders, sparing the elected government from adopting the generals' recommendation to launch a poorly-designed military campaign in Lebanon.

The book is clearly written and is solidly based on interviews with numerous high-level officials. This is a worthy sequel to Peri's earlier book, Between Battles and Ballots, showing that state control over the military has been weak since Israel's founding. Peri's important work holds cautionary lessons for all democracies, including the U.S. since 9/11, that struggle against terrorists and seek to make the most of their militaries without giving them control over national policy.

This is a brief essay on a movement that is growing steadily little by little. This movement says that the past events of ancient civilizations that are currently dated to the third and second millennium BC actually happened in the first millennium BC. The reduction is of some two thousand years of history. Although it seems crazy, it is even more crazy that historians have neglected these anomalies in chronology for so long. It seems that in an age of computers and genetical engineering medieval minds still operate and dominate the field. Hopefully this will change during the 21st century.

This is one of the most exciting historical books I've ever read. Sweeney has finally answered the question as to why the important characters of biblical history were apparently unknown to the Egyptians. The two chronologies are out of sync by 1,000 years. Truly revolutionary. The most exciting part for me was the discovery that Joseph (of the many-coloured coat) was the same person as Imhotep, the great seer who designed the Step Pyramid at Sakkara. This book is a must for any Indiana Jones enthusiasts of Egyptian and biblical history.

I read this aloud to my children (age 7 and 9), and all three of us really enjoyed the stories! Very entertaining, and fun because they used modern expressions, and included amusing details. Also, there were lots of twists and turns that weren't in Disney movies or other versions of these stories, that made the stories extra interesting. I also really appreciated the fact that the story tried to clarify some moral points, in a nice way. My kids just begged and begged for me to keep reading just one more chapter. I would really recommend it.

Give Stephen Mitchell a looksee. Stare long and hard at him for a while. Really take him in. Why? Because, my friend, you are in the presence of a very smart man. A man who realized something that a lot of authors need to take into account. When it comes to classic tales like One Thousand and One Arabian Nights there are very few child-friendly versions of the tales that have been published in the last ten years. That doesn't stop my library patrons from asking for some, though. I'll hand them a thick text circa 1973 with copious words and few pictures and they'll give me that hurt puppydog look. The look that says, "Why won't you give me what I want?" And what they want (though they don't know the title yet) is "Genies, Meanies, and Magic Rings". A new look at three of the classic Arabian Tales, Mitchell has given new light to the well-known and even reintroduced stories that we might not have heard in their original incarnation before. A necessary purchase and then some.

Three stories culled from "The Arabian Nights" appear in this volume, varying in fame. There is "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" (which has amazingly eluded Disneyfication until now) about a poor man named Ali Baba and his discovery of a cache of thieves gold. "Abu Keer and Abu Seer" looks at the story of two men, one good and one bad, and the various trials one must suffer at the hands of the other. Finally, "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" rounds out the book and maintains its status as one of the world's finer stories for children.

Look. Anyone who flips through the first ten pages of the original "Arabian Nights" will tell you right off the bat that it is NOT a work of fiction appropriate for children. There's some serious sex-related stuff in those stories, to say nothing of the awe-inspiring tortures and dismemberments that abound. That means that it was up to Mr. Mitchell to make the stories accessible to kids today. This is no easy task. Sometimes updating a classic tale or story goes all wrong. Consider, for example, Julius Lester's well-meaning but flawed retelling of the classic Brer Rabbit in, Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales. For the most part, Lester did a supremely wonderful job. But then he'd try to "update" the tales and throw in a reference to a shopping mall, or some similarly jarring image, and throw the whole story out of whack. I was a little worried that Mitchell here might go the same route. I needn't have worried.

As he says in his Afterword, "I have kept the main story lines, but I have abridged, deleted, and expanded incidents, added and deleted dialogue, modified motivation and character, and made whatever other changes seemed appropriate in order to bring these tales to life in the English of today." Sometimes it's a physical change to the original story, and sometimes an emotional one. When Aladdin sees the beautiful princess for the first time we hear that, "Even though he had just seen her for the first time, it was as if he knew her better than anyone he had ever met - as if she were his best friend and they had known each other a long, long time ago and he had just recognized her again after all that time." Aww. Love at first sight rarely gets described as sweetly. And rarely do princesses get much of a hand in their own rescue, but Mitchell knows enough to give the princess the gumption to help Aladdin figure out how to get his lamp back.

It doesn't hurt matters any that Mitchell is in possession of a bit of a silver tongue. In the tale of "Abu Keer and Abu Seer", for example, he has characters discussing various shades of cloth. "I can dye it the color of a rose or a cherry, a ruby or a sunset or a hummingbird's throat." Mitchell's a fan of lists. There's a section of the story where we are told of the variety and scope of the food the genie brings to Aladdin and his mother. Reading it to myself just now actually cause my stomach to growl. I should mention that though the stories have been updated and made viable to today's youth, there's still some old-fashioned let's-scald-the-evil-doers-alive-in-urns types violence here and there. Not that it's graphic or hurts the story any, but FYI.

Some of the stories might cause surprise. Some kids would be amazed to find Aladdin and his Magic Lamp is a tale set in China, but it makes sense. In his Afterword, Mitchell discusses his sources and where he found one tale or another. "The tales originated from the Indian, Persian, Arab, and Chinese merchants who traveled on the Silk road between northern China and the Middle East." The Afterword also puts to rest any fears one might have about Mitchell's research and intentions. Here you will find explanations of the earliest printed editions of the tales, not to mention the first European translations, their importance, and even little matters like how we know that "Abu Keer and Abu Seer" is a relatively recent creation (tobacco is in the story but didn't hit the Near East until the 17th century). Hats are tipped too to the translations of the tale done by Edward Lane, Sir Richard Francis Burton, and Husain Haddawy (as recently as 1995!).

Illustrators often end up with the short end of the stick when it comes to critiquing the books they work upon. Because I had read (and greatly enjoyed) the Stephen Mitchell book of poetry for children, The Wishing Bone, and Other Poems, I had seen Mr. Tom Pohrt's work before. His images aren't flashy or pompous. They're small subtle complements to the action. Maybe two figures will relax in one image and in another a woman will scold. It would be easy enough to slip into Arab stereotyping in this kind of book, but Pohrt has the matter well in hand, and every character is a unique individual. If Mitchell makes the book worth reading then Pohrt makes it worth viewing.

The matter of race takes a funny turn in these books. I don't know how necessary it would have been to mention that the villain in Aladdin was, "a tall dark-skinned man with a long nose." I might also be interested in looking up the original text to see if this description was always the case (turban and all). Also, the genie is described as a white dude (my words, not his) with golden hair and a beard, as featured on the cover of this book. An interesting choice and one that I suspect might lead to a very interesting discussion of textual analysis and race in children's interpretations of past fairy tales and fables.

On the whole, however, I can't imagine any reasonable arguments against buying this title immediately if not sooner. You already own an edition of these tales? Uh huh. And do the kids dig it? Anyone looking for a text to combat Disney's version of "Aladdin" would do well to grab this book for their shelves pronto. Well-researched, well-written, well on its way to making a name for Mitchell and Pohrt.

Given the special relations between Germany and Israel it is surprising that the topic has so far been treated by political science rather marginally. It is all the more gratifying that an author has now produced a successful opus in this respect.

On the basis of numerous interviews the author has presented a comprehensive analytical study. Particularly interesting is the study's detailed and extensive part on security policy, intelligence and other related issues. Here the author succeeds in drawing a comprehensive picture despite the fact that the complete availability of relevant sources is not given. These approx. 150 pages alone make the study as yet an unrivalled standard work which should not be lacking in any university library.

The relationship between Germany and Israel has been often characterized as a one way street: Germany being the donor and Israel the recipient. Yet little is known about the fact that for a long a time there has been a close cooperation - particulary in the field of security - from which both parties equelly benefit. Yves Pallade writes about this relationship and about much more in a very in-depth manner. On a broad basis of sources he impacts information about the relations between the two countries and mentions both stumbling blocks as well as successful cooperations. Particulary after the numerous soap-box oratories on the occasion of the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of official German-Israeli relations, this is an indispensable book for all those who want to see what lies behind the scenes.

This a great choice of a book if youre looking forward to start reading. It has everithing accion, drama, a little comedy and you will never get bored you wont stop reading because it is so interesting most of all if you like Israel.

this book reads better than any fiction and it is verifiably true. i cannot reccomend this book highly enough, especially for those fans of the spy genre. get this, you won't be disappointed.

This book is a stunning idea. Brought off with impeccable taste and care. Ms. Laub is an incredible photographer that could easily just make a living working on fashion and advertising projects. With "Testimony" she puts her skills to incredible use and with a level of class and sensitivity I doubt others could match.t's great to see a younger artist tackle a subject of this enormity head on. Kudos. A must purchase for anyone who wants to understand the Palestinian-Israeli crisis more. I've heard a picture says a 1000 words, in this case it says a million.

For four years Gillian Laub has worked in Israel and Palestine producing portraits of their inhabitants, and TESTIMONY thus has appeal not only for art schools strong in contemporary portrait photography and social issues photography, but for any college-level holding including studies about and images of Middle East residents. Fifty of her portraits cover Israeli Jews and Arabs alike, are accompanied by interviews which reveal common threads of survival issues, and make for an excellent series of eye-opening visual images. A powerful library pick.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book will take you through ancient prophecies of the days in which we live. Without resorting to Nostradamus and other lightweight seers, Marion Kremers gives a convincing overview of why you should read and study the Bible for yourself.
Included are many historical features such as timelines of recent Middle Eastern political history.
The reader will gain a lot of insight into why the Old Testament prophetical writings especially are essential for a thorough understanding of the hurting world without the Lord God of the Jews, post 9/11, in which we live today.

The best book that I, and many others have read. An excellent study of the Bible, ancient prophacies thru current affairs! Once you read the book you'll want to keep it around to help understand the precise timing of our creator.

This is a must read for anyone that is interested in the Middle East in general and Israel in specific.

Probably not the most accepted political view, but in order to gain insight into how this region works, a nessasary one to study.

This member of Knesset is one of the up and coming power-brokers in Israel, read what he has to say and you'll come out enlightened to a new perspective.

Benny Alon has been in past years one of the most courageous political leaders in Israel. I personally witnessed his courage when in a demonstration against the disastrous Oslo agreement he marched forward against a hostile mounted police force.
He is currently the leader of the Echud - Leumi party.
As a religious Zionist he believes in the Biblical promise to the people of Israel. And he has proposed a peace plan by which the greatest share of the Arabs of Judea and Samaria are connected politically with Jordan.
He is a strong visionary leader , and his proposal for the future of Israel is close to the one given by the Bible.

In the introduction, the author talks about the closer relationship developing between Jews and true Christians and the rise of Messianic Judaism. The two stated aims of this book are (a) examining the intersection of Biblical promise and timing in our day (b) providing answers about Israel and the Jewish people to Christians and Jews.

Part One: The Time Has Come, deals with the 1948 rebirth of the nation of Israel, the 1967 restoration of Jerusalem to Israel, the growth of the Messianic Jewish movement and the revival among the nations.

The first chapter discusses biblical examples of God's intervention when His promise and timing intersected in the past, provides evidence of His faithfulness and points to the ways in which promise and timing are coming together in our time. Chapter Two shows how the rebirth of the nation of Israel is the most spectacular fulfillment of prophecy in the last two thousand years.

In the next chapter, Finto talks about Israel's reclamation of her ancient capital in 1967, nineteen years after the rebirth of the nation, according to the promise, while chapter four explores the fast growing Messianic Jewish movement both in Israel and throughout the world, which is another fulfillment of ancient prophecy. Chapter 5 provides evidence of the astonishing growth of Christianity in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The final chapter of part one shows how the church of the early 21st century is awakening to the Jewish roots of her faith.

Part Two: Questions People Ask About Israel and the Middle East, attempts to answer the plethora of questions by Jewish and Christian people raised by the developments described in the first section of the book.

Chapter Seven: What About The Arabs? explores the hidden brotherhood between Arabs and Jews as descendents of Abraham, the reasons for the current antagonism and the ultimate good news for the Arab nations. The next chapter addresses the question: Does the land still belong to Israel?, demonstrating that this is indeed the case.

In chapter nine, Finto looks at the question of the millennial reign of King Yeshua and the fullness of God's restoration of mankind and nature. Then he addresses the question of what Messianic Jews believe. The members of the early Church did not call themselves Christians; they were Jewish followers of Yeshua and they used the term The Way and were called Netzorim (Nazarites). It was only at the infamous Council of Nicea when the Gentile Church formally separated from the Jewish root.

The reasons why the Church should embrace her Jewish roots are the subject of chapter eleven. As Israel's younger brother, the Church is coming into an awareness of her Jewish heritage. The final chapter looks at the question of how Christians should respond. Finto calls Christians to unconditional love for all Jewish people and to support the state of Israel and those in the Diaspora. Guidelines are provided for believers to make a difference at this crucial time in world history.

Appendix A is a suggested Bible Reading Plan and Appendix B provides quotations from past generations of the saints on Israel and the Jewish people, including quotes from the marginal notes in the Geneva Bible of 1560, William Perkins (1579), Elnathan Parr in The Plain Exposition (1620), John Owens speaking before the House of Commons in 1649, John Brown in Exposition of Romans (1666), Robert Leighton in a sermon in 1642, Samuel Rutherford in a letter of 1633, Increase Mather in his book The Mystery Of Israel's Salvation Explained And Applied (1669), James Durham (1680), John Albert Bengel, Thomas Boston from a 1716 sermon, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Simeon and Charles Spurgeon (1855).

Appendix C provides contact information for various ministries like Beit Asaph, Beit Immanuel, El-Roii, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, Kehilat HaCarmel, Maoz, Revive Israel, Tents Of Mercy and Tikkun. Websites and the names of contact persons are supplied.

Appendix D is a bibliography of recommended reading, including books by James W Goll, Keith Intrater, Dan Juster and David H Stern. To these, I would like to add the following works which I have found to be valuable and inspiring:

In Defense of Israel by John Hagee
Our Father Abraham by Marvin R Wilson
Ruth & Esther by Frank Morgan
Standing With Israel by David Brog
Why Care about Israel? by Sandra Teplinsky

In matters of the heart, timing is crucial. In the fulfillment of Bible Prophesy, God's timing rules. Prayer is extended daily for God's will-- in His timing. But what is God's timing and how does one know? Don Finto has presented a compelling case for the Bible to be the core element in understanding modern times in God's Promise and the Future of Israel. Using Bible Prophesy as the wall map upon which present day history is pinned, Finto observes the unfolding of Israel's history as a pivot point upon which God's promises in scripture are coming to fruition. Five significant scenarios which have been taking place in this generation clearly align with God's promises for His Chosen People and with the period in history prophesied as "the last days." He likes to refer to these as intersections of God's promises with God's timing:

* The reestablishment of the State of Israel in 1948,
* The retaking of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of June 1967,
* The opening of Jewish eyes to the message of Jesus,
* The revivals around the world, and
* The increasing awareness within the Church of the Jewish roots for the Christian faith.

Don Finto prefaces two purposes for the book: "to look at the intersection of promise and timing in our day, and to provide answers to questions about Israel and the Jewish people." His heart is clearly filled with love for God and His Chosen, and he is quick to inform the reader that the book is not just about Israel and the present days. "It is about a God who loves and comes to free us to be who we were created to be. It is about a forever-loving, covenant-keeping God." Israel is a clear reminder that God has not forgotten His People. In the same manner He has not forsaken the Gentiles who are essentially adopted into the family and are integral parts of His plan. To that extent the book is also about the reader. God calls each person to His purpose, and neither man nor woman can escape His call. "That God-shaped vacuum within you will know peace only as you rest in Him and He in you."

The second half of the book is dedicated to clarifying contemporary questions regarding Israel, their Arab brothers, their Christian brothers and how Christians should be responding to the challenges of this invigorating time. His perceptions and recommendations are profound, and his timing couldn't be better.

Block has come out with his second edition of _Gods of the Nations_ in which he proposes that peoples in the Ancient Near East saw themsleves as members of a national state. Members of a national state were ones who saw themselves as related not just as members of a certain territory but related by other factors as well. Foremost among these latter was kin relationship.

Block proposes that there was a relationship between the deities of the ANE, the land, and the people which was similar to a feudal system. The land was given to or reserved by the deity who gave it to the people. Each member of this triad had responsibilities which Block investigates. Thus the conduct of the people was subject to the accounting of the deity.

Too bad this book is so short. Block spends too little time addressing the fact that political realities in the ANE shaped theological documents. For example on page 118, Block notes the titular deity of Ur is forced out because Ur has been destroyed.
Block could use these political realities to explain the religious syncretism of ancient Israel as known from the archaeological record. Rather than do that, Block concentrates upon biblical texts to explain the rights and demands of the deity upon the people, and then he uses extra-biblical texts to explain the end of the deity-people relationship.

A fascinating thesis worthy of a second edition. I will refer to this book often during future reading.

Dr. Block takes us on a tour of the Ancient Near East, comparing Israel and Yahweh to the neighboring gods and religions.

Using this book, one will be able to gain a working familiarity with some of the more common religious thought forms of the Bronze and Iron ages. A major conclusion of his work is that Yahweh is distinct from all the other gods in that he cares for a people while all the other gods care only for their lands. Yahweh is the electing God of love and mercy.

For gaining a better understanding of the Old Testament world, books such as this are indispensable. Block is a master teacher who knows how to systematically present ancient texts and beliefs. In the end he arrives at a profound restatement of Yahweh and His relation to Israel, resulting in a summary exposition of Ezekiel 8-11. In that text we discover how the Glory of Yahweh leaves the temple and heads east to leave Jerusalem and depart from Israel. This movement is explained in the Babylonian context where gods often leave temples when they are dragged away by captors. Yahweh, however, is unique in that his departure is voluntary and under his own power, for he is doing with the other gods can not and do not do. My summary can not do justice, you really need to get the book and read all the details for yourself.

The book is divided into five basic chapters that can each be read in one sitting. As a result, I found myself reading this book in less than a week -- and with little effort, which is good for me being that I am slowest of all readers. That is, I did not find myself spending all my free time reading, but the pages evaporated into the past as quickly as they appeared: the reading was over before I realized what hit me.

I have spent a good amount of time reading Ancient Near Eastern material, and I feel like this treaties has been the most pleasant and enjoyable. One critique I would give, which is really a wish and not a critique, is that it would be nice if there were a chapter on the New Testament. I would like to see Block develop his theme in relation to Jesus, who is the Lord of the New Exodus. Jesus is the "Yahweh-Saves" Man, and it would be wonderful to see how Block would incorporate this into his overall scheme (in my mind, the idea is perfectly complimentary to Block�s present thesis, and I�d like to read the good professor�s take on the matter). Where Block does not develop the theme, I recommend reading "God Crucified" by Richard Bauckham (available on Amazon), or "The Challenge of Jesus" by N.T. Wright, esp. chapter 5, also available on Amazon.