Middle East Books

This book is unmistakably useful as a guide for tourists visiting Turkey, but it will be of value also to all of us with Turkish friends. Turks are Middle Easterners, but not like most of their neighbours. This book sweeps away suppositions and errors and presents the Turks' history, culture, beliefs and ways in a clear and readable manner.

The Insight Guide to Turkey has breathtaking photos, and exceptionally well-written essays about the country, its history, geography, politics and peoples.

I read this book in preparing to host a Turk at my house. I was seeking an appreciation of the country and its culture. What I got was a fascinating read (I couldn't put it down) and a very balanced view, in addition to a great history lesson. I am left with a desire to see this country and meet its people!

Insight guides offer a rich history, political analysis and cultural insight to the countries they cover. By using locally based writers they get the insiders view of what the various camps believe in. For a discerning traveller who wants to know about the country, the people, geography, food, industry etc and for those who wish to travel independently, this is the book to read. It is not tourist guide which says stay here, eat this menu, see this statue. All that is left to the standard tourist guide writers. If you never travel to a country, you can know it through the insight guide. Because Muslim and Turkish cultures are so different from ours (and Turkish is different to Arabic Muslim) it is important to be aware of the behaviours that are considered polite and those that are considered to be rude. This book equips you to deal courteously with salesmen who would be considered pushy by western standards. Did you know for instance that it is rude to kiss your partner in the street in Turkey (or any muslim country) even if it is only a peck on the cheek -whereas it is polite for men to kiss each other in public. Why were Turks feared by all of Europe for seven hundred years? Why do the Greeks still hate them with such passion (if you want to insult a Greek just call him a Turk and see the reaction). For depth of analysis on culture, history and geography, to understand what makes the people tick, you should read this book. Then if you travel to Turkey you may, like me, find the Turks to be the friendliest people you have ever met. You may also understand why such friendly people are capable of being represented in quite a different way in Movies like Midnight Express. Vive la difference!

Reading the book, you feel like you are alongside Salmon as he experiences the sites and people of Israel. Salmon's writing blends descriptions of his experiences with insightful perspectives on how life in Israel differs from the US in a way that entrances the reader. As an American living in our post-9/11 society, I found Salmon's descriptions of those who live world that constantly deals with terrorism, and how they deal with their environment, fascinating. It has made me think of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a new enlightened perspective. This book is a must read!

Into The Fire: A Post - 9/11 American In Tel Aviv is the memoir of Charles T. Salmon, an American who immersed himself in Israeli culture. He arrived on a Fullbright fellowship, speaking no Hebrew, and largely unfamiliar with Judaism and Israeli customs. As time passed, Salmon closely observed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations; Palestinian terrorist events and Israeli responses; the differences between university studies in Tel Aviv and America, and a great deal more replete with insight, wit, and candid openness. Into The Fire offers contemporary readers a revealing, informative, and highly recommended presentation.

This book was well-written, funny and easy-to-read. I read the entire book in two sittings because it was so interesting -- I was just engrossed in it. This book is good for someone interested in politics, foreign countries, and academia. Salmon's interest in wanting to make a difference and learn about many different cultures makes me want to take a class from him. I also liked how he used humor and candor in admitting his own shortcomings and what he missed about America. I would highly recommend this book to anyone over the age of 15. Wonderful! Keep writing and I will keep reading, Charles T. Salmon!

This book was well written.
It was given as gift and was throughly enjoyed by the reader.
Hope to see more books written by the author in the future.

Lawrence's insightful look at this little understood nation will open your eyes to events that led to America's invasion of Iraq. His first hand knowledge and in-depth research will introduce you to a cast of characters that underlay America's invasion and continue to influence events in the region. This eminently readable book will be referred to by historians for decades to come as America's misadventure is studied.
Lawrence's travels have clearly given him a great fondness for the region. In vivid language, Lawrence gives you a feel for the landscape and people of Iraqi Kurdistan. Several times while reading Invisible Nation I found myself thinking that I wanted to travel there. No other person has made me want to visit Iraq.
Buy this book!

As a producer/director for British and American TV I have made numerous films in and about Iraq over the last five years, but Invisible Nation is a revelation to me. Like most people covering the tragedy, I have been distracted by the carnage in the south and Lawrence's book fills a gaping hole. He has been a regular visitor there since shortly before the US invasion and, as well as providing a potted history of Iraqi Kurdistan, he paints a vivid picture of the country, its people and its leaders. There is a wonderful breezy energy to his prose and by the end we feel not only informed but also emotionally involved in what happens there.

Lawrence was an eye-witness to many of the key events he describes and he talks us through the strange parallel history that has unfolded. As Sunni and Shia Iraq have descended into anarchy, the Kurds, largely un-noticed, have established the prosperous, peaceful, functioning democracy (rough and ready though it may be) that was supposed to be the goal all along. The paradox is that it is only the weakness of their southern neighbours that has enabled them to do so and, should the US succeed in restoring stability in the rest of Iraq, Baghdad will almost certainly try and re-establish its traditional control. The Sunnis can look for support to Saudi Arabia, the Shias to Iran. The Kurds have no-one to shake a stick on their behalf other than us, and we have always betrayed them in the past. The truly unforgivable final act in this tragedy, as we scuttle away from the disaster we have inflicted, would be to do so again as the price of peace.

Richard Sanders

Anglican priest Canon Andrew White belongs at the top of any person's list of heroes, and this book on Iraq should be a primary source for anyone's perspective on Iraq. Canon White has been involved in reconciliation and peacemaking in Iraq since before the war when he pursued alleviation for Iraq's suffering multitudes and religious dialogue with its various religous leaders.

Since the war, he has been tirelessly active in the struggle to bring about peace in Iraq. His account illustrates the activity of peacemaking, one that experiences joy and suffering, glory and grief. He paints an extraordinary picture of Iraq that I don't think has been conveyed through any other means. He is unique in his relationships with all parties involved in Iraq, so his perspective is comprehensive. Also unlike any other account of Iraq I have seen or read, his account incorporates the spiritual insights regarding the region and its history.

Canon White tells the story of horrible suffering during Saddam's reign of terror and during the chaotic violence in recent years. He gives the big picture of horror and some individual stories. He also tells of the big hope he has for the country and how he has witnessed God's glorious miracles in the country and in individual stories amidst the suffering. His writing is clearly an attempt to be honest while conveying his hope and love for Iraq.

One thing is for sure from reading this book. You will see Iraq and its people differently, and it is likely you will develop an earnest prayer for their peace.

Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays

He is truely an amazing person and a wonderful human being. I wish that I could have half the dedication of Canon White.

Andrew White is a dedicated, passionate man, with a true heart of God for the people of Iraq, and this book is written only as an "insider" who has lived there can. I had the priveledge to cross paths with him, ever so briefly in Baghdad and I can tell you he has a burden and love for the good people of Iraq as no one else has or can.

This book is perfectly calculated to be read in the street on a hot day, holding the place lightly with a finger as one walks from one superb building to the next. Effortless learning and prose shine on them like a torch. The book has the humility to accept historical Islam on its own terms, uniquely explaining the Arabic texts written on walls already saturated with religious and political meaning. Is there any other guide quite like it and quite as good?

Caroline Williams and her predecessors have put together a marvelous guide to most of the Islamic monuments, large and small, in Cairo. The book is divided by sections of the city and Williams suggests several "tours" visitors can give themeselves. I found it a valuable "tour guide" when I was exploring the city and an important reference when cataloging my slides after returning home. With detailed information about the history and finer architectural points of some two hundred monuments, as well as tips for getting around Cairo, this book (or its paperback version, ISBN 977-424-316-2) is a must-have for every Cairo-bound traveller!

Cairo is one of the great cities in the world, and a walk through its Islamic areas transports you back hundreds, even thousands of years. This guide has been my bible as I've walked and walked and walked on many visits over the years. It illuminates what you see. Almost every block has something of interest, and it is invariably described lucidly in this guidebook.

Enough said -- if you want to walk through Islamic Cairo, you need this book. And if you don't want to walk, the book will make you want to!

This slim volume is like a slender candle that sheds much light over a topic that seems so confusing. Until you read this book, you may never understand why the Mid-East "Peace Process" was still-born. Orr weaves together short essays that leave an indelible impression on the tangled origins and uncertain future of America's closest ally in the Mid-East, Israel.

This slim volume is like a slender candle that sheds much light over a topic that seems so confusing. Until you read this book, you may never understand why the Mid-East "Peace Process" was still-born. Orr weaves together short essays that leave an indelible impression on the tangled origins and uncertain future of America's closest ally in the Mid-East, Israel.

The only thing to say about this collection of insightful essays is that it is perfect. Nowhere else can one find such succinct, incisive writing about a topic so deliberately obfuscated as the Middle East. In one essay, Orr writes an exact history of Israel in nine pages. Major news media organisations, such as TIME and NEWSWEEK, would do well to follow. Their pages-long analyses of Israel and the Palestinians lack the focus and commitment to honesty that Orr exudes on every page.

Orr's credentials are rock-solid, too: he is a citizen of Israel and a former member of the Israeli Defence Forces, so he knows that nation from the inside. While he believed at first in the righteousness of Israel's cause, as a soldier and member of civilian society he came to see the true, criminal nature of the state. He compares its siege mentality to that of the Nazis, a comparison only a Jew can make.

If you haven't time to digest great tomes on Israel and the Middle East, sift through this one-hundred page beauty and emerge a more enlightened man.

Book uses unique overlay technique that allows the reader to see what a historical site looks like today as well as what it looked like in its prime. Excellent reference material for pilgrims to the Holy Land. I bought it in Israel and bought three more for friends when I got home.

This handy little spiral-bound book has thick pages and wonderful photographs of historic sites in Israel. It is a virtual tour book of ancient Israel. The plastic graphic overlays for each page lets you see what the same scene might have looked like in ancient times. This is an excellent study help that allows you to visualize the buildings and places in the time of Jesus. The back of each page provides explanations of the historical and religious significance of the site. The rest of the book includes a glossary, a brief synopsis of ancient history, and maps to pull it all together. Though published by Frommer's, I would suggest that this is wonderful study guide for any student of the Bible, not just travelers to the Middle East. From the fortress at Masada to the church at Kursi, this collection gives you a tour of ancient sites and transports you to that world in a way other books cannot.

Trying to picture the past is often diffcult. This book is an outstanding reference and visual aid for anyone touring or studing Israel. Each of the major sites is shown today and with an overlay of it's former glory.

I am an advanced amateur photographer who has been photographing for almost fifty years. On reading "Israel Through My Lens" there is an immediate connection between Mr. Rubingers experiences and those of any serious photographer/photojournalist. Through his remembrances the reader not only relives the history of Israel and the Middle East in the 20th century but also the very simple joy of being a photographer, getting the good shot. This is a simple story of his life and his relationships that have led to a brilliant career as a photojournalist. I enjoyed the book because I am able to feel his excitement in getting the picture. Rubinger is not a 'god' of photography, he is simply a talented photographer who clearly describes for the rest of us the fun and excitement of photography and photojournalism. All this while telling a wonderful personal story and national history.

David Rubinger has laid it out as he saw it and lived it. This is a VERY personal book with little if anything held back. From his youth to the present, Rubinger gives a verbal as well as photographic picture of himself and the Sate of Israel growing up, maturing and "getting on". From his time in the British army to the horrific death of a woman he cared for deeply, this book tells it all. It is easy reading yet compelling. I was carried into a very personal environment and felt as if I were at each event, meeting each person, taking part in each "adventure". David Rubinger's life appears to be a string of wonderful and not-so-wonderful experiences. And you are right there. The country comes alive through the eyes and life of this exceptional man. I have read it twice and have given it as gifts to friends. Oh, yes, I highly recommend this book!!

As a photographer, I loved this book. As good as the photographs are, the writing is even better. Great stories about working as a Time photographer in the Mid East, growing up in Europe during WWII, and wonderful vignettes about Israeli leaders. Highly recommended.

Ms. Roarabach has done an incredible job clearly presenting both the history and present conditions of Palestine and Israel in one amazingly compact book. I would highly recommend "Israel-Palestine in a Nutshell" to anyone traveling to either of these countries or if you simply want to familiarize yourself with Palestine or Israel.

Highly Recommended!

This compact little book does a very good job of distilling both sides of one of the most confusing conflicts currently brewing. Chock-full of both facts and the historical narrative used to evaluate those facts, this is a valuable addition to the library of anyone wishing to understand how each side sees the region and the issues. If we are to have peace, understanding both sides is an important first step.

Israel/Palestine In A Nutshell is really two books in one. On one side is "Palestine in a nutshell". Flip it over and you have "Israel in a nutshell" on the other side. What is provided is the history of the current conflict presented from both the perspective of the Israelis and the Palestinians. A welcome addition to International Studies reading lists, Israel/Palestine In A Nutshell offers a informed and informative tour through the series of peace treaties between the two opposing communities from the Camp David accords down to the latest 2003 Geneva proposal. Also very highly recommended are the four other "World in a Nutshell" titles from Enisen Publishing: Afghanistan in a Nutshell; Iraq in a Nutshell; Pakistan in a Nutshell, and Islam in a Nutshell.

If there was one book I would like to put in every library in America - it would be this book! I would have to say that this books is the most complete book I have ever read in explaining clearly what is wrong with the occupation and how absolutely awful it really is. Both anecdotally and with facts and figures, the book lays out in very clear and concise terms what is wrong with the whole Oslo process and post Oslo negotiations and what is wrong with the kind of two-state solution Israel and the U.S. are trying to foist off on the Palestinians.

To those who are not familiar with Jeff Halper's work; Professor Halper is Professor of Anthropology at Tel Aviv University and he is founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolition.

Please allow me to quote from the first paragraph of the first chapter of this excellent book:

Quote:

"I first became aware of being an "Israeli in Palestine" on July 9, 1998, the day my friend Salim Shawamrch calls "that black day in my life and the life of my family." On that day the bulldozers of Israel's Civil Administration, its military government in the West Bank, demolished his home for the first time. It was an act so, unjust, so at odds with the ethos of the benign, democratic, Jewish Israel fighting for its survival I had absorbed on "my side" of the Green Line that it was inexplicable in any terms I could fathom. It had nothing to do with terrorism or security. It was not an act of defense or even keeping Palestinians away from Israeli settlements or roads. It was purely unjust and brutal. As the bulldozer pushed through the walls of Salim's home, it pushed me through all the ideological rationalizations, the pretexts, the lies and the bullshit that my country had erected to prevent us from seeing the truth: that oppression must accompany an attempt to deny the existence and claims of another people in order to establish an ethnically pure state for yourself."


Many people are under the absolutely false impression that most house demolitions are demolitions of the homes of suspected terrorist. Actually 95% of home demolitions are done ostensibly on the ground that the homes were built or extended without building permits. And the occupations authorities and even the civil authorities inside Israel rarely grant building permits to Palestinians either in the Occupied Territories or even within Israel itself, no matter how drastic the housing shortage is. Most Palestinians on both sides of the green line who have the means and the desire to build a house, spend thousand of dollars in fees and fines and wait years and years only to have their permits denied again, again and again.

Professor Halper's opinions are much more nuanced than some would presume. Dr. Halper actually supports the the two-solution and does not particularly favor the single state or binational state solution although he is favorable to their democratic principles. Dr. Halper does not describe himself as either a Zionist or an anti-Zionist. In fact he is quite favorable to the whole concept of cultural Zionism - the Hebrew cultural revival and renaissance; but not political Zionism which he views as an idea rooted in outmoded 19th Century Eastern European "ethnocratic" nationalism. His main point is that for there to be long term peace in the region, Israel must move beyond an ethnocratic, "state for the Jews' and become a real multi-ethnic, multi-religious modern democracy that is a state for all of its citizens.

Another point Dr. Halper emphasizes is that Israel must completely move away from the whole confrontational, " Iron Wall" approach to the Arab and Muslim world and seek full integration into the region. His long term picture is a situation in which Israel eventually becomes part of an EU type configuration with their neighbors. His actual view is a two-state solution that hopefully can evolve into a binational state in an economic and political community with their neighbors. This would be among other things a way to help resolve the refugee problem. The right of return would be far more acceptable to Israelis if Palestinians who chose to live in Israel would either be citizens of a Palestinian state or of neighboring countries. The issue of settlers would be completely different if those Israelis who chose to live within a Palestinian state would remain Israeli citizens but living as equals in the West Bank, East Jerusalem or the Gaza - which would be far more acceptable to Palestinians if the settlers were living as equals and they - the Palestinians also had the right to live in Israel. And of course the whole issue of Jerusalem would be put on an entirely different level.

A few decades ago Australia moved away from the concept of being a western outpost in Asia - to recognizing that their own viability and long term survival required Australia to seek integrating into East Asia and become a vital part of the East Asian family of nations. It's hard to imagine today, but only in the 60's Australia had a "white Australia" policy which essentially only welcomed White-Christians as citizens. NO amount of military power and prowess can out muscle geography and demographics forever. Dr. Halper challenges everyone to move from the "Iron Wall" - either we win and they lose or they lose and we win paradigm to a win/win paradigm.

As Professor Halper points out, integration into the region is for the Israelis not simply a matter of idealism or multiculuralism. It is a matter of viability and even survival. And as Professor Halper points out in his book, the one real power the Palestinians have is that they - the Palestinians are the gatekeepers of Israel's acceptance and integration into the Middle East.

Professor Halper's main point in discussing the two-state solution which he does support - is that the type of two-state solution currently being cooked up for the Palestinians is an nonviable apartheid arrangement that will not bring independence, peace, justice or security or acceptance into the region. It must be vigorously opposed.

Professor Halper has goes into great detail in his book and he has written elsewhere about how the whole system of how settlements, bypass roads, walls, tunnels, borders controls and infrastructure completely dissect the entire West Bank and Occupied Territories into a system of economically and politically nonviable cantons which make political and economic independence absolutely impossible and creates a Matrix of Control over virtually every aspect of their lives.

You can also read more about how this Matrix of Control operates in the real world at this website:

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The book goes into far more details of the on-the ground realities


I cannot recommend this book enough. Some have asked, "what can be done to really help the Palestinians and improve their situation while recognizing that only a full end to the occupation is the real answer?" This is a hard question to answer considering that it does not look likely that a full end to the occupation is coming any time soon. In 1996 Professor Halper took this question to numerous Palestinians. What can we do to help that can both thwart the occupation and contribute to its demise while at the same time doing something productive that helps Palestinians in their day to day lives? That is when he joined with others in founding The Israeli Committee Against House Demolition.

For a Youtube interview with Jeff Halper - bottom of the page:

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Website for the Israeli Committee Against House Demolition:
[...]

Jeff Halper, a Jewish Israeli peace activist, lays out in devastating detail the horrors of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. This book is so well documented, it seems impossible to refute. It's really difficult to read. Not that it's difficult to UNDERSTAND... not at all. But what Israel has done -- and continues to do -- to the Palestinians is so atrocious, it actually hurts me to read it.

This book is CHOCK-FULL of unbelievable facts and statistics that demonstrate the utter complexity, completeness and cruelty of the "Matrix of Control" that Israel maintains over the Palestinians. I would like to quote just one section. It will give you an idea of how devastating the occupation is for the Palestinians:

"The [Jewish-only] settlement blocs are consciously built atop the [occupied] West Bank aquifers from which Israel draws about 30 percent of its water in violation of international law, which prohibits an Occupying Power from utilizing the resources of an occupied territory. Indeed, 80 percent of the water resources of the West Bank and Gaza are under Israeli control, and a full 80 percent of the water coming from the West Bank goes to Israel and its settlements. Only 20 percent is allocated to its 2.5 million Palestinian inhabitants, and they receive none of the water pumped from the Jordan River. As for consumption, the settlers use six times more water per capita than Palestinians. Per capita water consumption in the West Bank for domestic and urban use (drinking, washing, consumption by public institutions, watering parks, and so on) is only 60 liters per person per day, far below the minimum water consumption of 100 liters per person per day recommended by the World Health Organization; Israelis consume 350 liters per person per day. Mekorot, the Israeli water carrier, which controls all the water of the country, allocates 1,450 cubic meters of water per year to each settler, while a Palestinian receives only 83. Around 215,000 Palestinians living in 270 West Bank villages have no running water at all. The destruction of Palestinian wells and water mains, which has intensified with the construction of the ["separation"] wall over the main aquifers, creates months of water shortages, while the need to purchase water from Israeli tank trucks, costing $3 during the rainy season and up to $8 in the dry months, is beyond the financial resources of the impoverished population. As a final blow, Palestinians are forbidden to collect rainwater in open reservoirs."

The Israeli state is absolutely brutal in its treatment of the Palestinians... of this there can be no doubt. Another thing Halper makes painfully clear is that Israel has no intentions of negotiating a contiguous, viable and truly sovereign Palestinian state. It has already established "facts on the ground" that preclude such an entity.

I haven't quite finished the book yet, but it seems obvious to me that what Israel wants to do, vis-a-vis the Palestinians, is to make life so intolerable for them in the Occupied Territories that they will give up their dreams (and their rights!) and leave their homeland.

If you really want to understand what is going on in the Middle East, PLEASE read this book. Halper is a genius at explaining what Israel is doing... and why.

I have just finished reading Jeff Halper's An Israeli in Palestine and found it almost impossible to put down.
Halper has laid out the history of the establishment of the Zionist state in an easy to read manner although what he has written is not easy to digest.
As an American Jew who once staunchly supported Israel, I am horrified at how that state came into being with the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians who had been on the land for many generations. Halper quotes early and later Zionist leaders who acknowledge that with a large Arab population there could not be a Jewish state. He shows how the dispossession of the Palestinians was accomplished. this included the destruction of at least 500 Palestinian villages and taking the lands of the Arabs who remained, many of whom now live in what Israel calls unrecognized villages which lack electricity, roads and water supplies.
Halper has coined a more apt word for Israel than "democracy." Israel, he says, is an ethnocracy run for the benefit of the 70% Jewish population. In Israel today Arabs are barred from living on 93% of the land and, while they pay the same taxes, they do not get the same services. I wonder how America's Jews would feel if, in this so-called "Christian" nation we were barred from living on 93% of the land. I imagine that we would fight like hell against such blatant discrimination.
But it is in the Occupied Territories that Israel has committed the greatest sins. Since 1967 Israel has demolished at least 18,000 Palestinian homes. Palestinians cannot build new homes without permits but the irony is that the permits are rarely, if ever, granted to Palestinians who must pay large fees for the "privilege" of applying. When the permits are turned down the Palestinians, who are in dire need of housing, will build without the permit. Sooner or later it is likely that the bulldozers will arrive to destroy the house and everything in it. Jewish built homes built without permit are never bulldozed.
It is interesting to note that the Palestinian who last week overturned a bus in Jerusalem with a bulldozer was the victim of an Israeli bulldozer that demolished his home a few years ago.
Halper points out that Israel has for years avoided any chance of making peace with the Palestinians if that peace meant giving up the land and water resources it had already stolen. In the paperback version of the book he devotes six pages to listing all the opportunities for peace at which Israel thumbed its nose.
Halper makes it abundantly clear that what Israel wants is as much land and resources as possible with as few Palestinians as possible on that land. That is not a formula for peace.
This is a book that I wish would be read by every American whose tax dollars go to support the apartheid Israeli system. I wish that it would be read by every member of Congress who, if they were not too cowed by AIPAC, might just get up and say "Not one penny more."