Middle East Books

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.

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.

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.

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.

Reviewed by Lynn O'Connell for Reader Views (7/06)

A beautiful and successful young Turkish female entrepreneur, Ayla Acheson, is found murdered in her country house outside of Istanbul. Was she killed for money? Because of her feminist beliefs? Or, by a scorned lover? The Turkish police, led by Inspector Levent, are quickly on the scene in this high-profile case. As Levent tries to make sense of the victim's bedroom and study, the killer makes contact with the Inspector on Ayla's computer. Levent determines that the killer, who identifies himself as Karanlik (Turkish for `a man from the darkness') is "a murderer without conscience who thinks he is justified in everything he does." And, Levent is bent on getting this madman. From Ayla's tourism business to a nightclub and an art gallery, Levent leads us on a tour through the diverse neighborhoods of Istanbul.

This is author David Chacko's twelfth novel and the first, I hope, of many in the "Inspector Levent" series. In the character of Levent, the reader meets a skilled and well-connected detective. In fact, at times, Levent wishes he were not so well-connected since his wife's cousin is the Chief of Police - and this means he gets some difficult and politically sensitive cases to handle. Chacko occasionally opens a window to Levent's personal life, mentioning his wife and his love of good food. There are also numerous references to Levent's battles with Istanbul traffic. These very short interludes away from the focus on the gory murder are nice touches to the book, adding a little humor and lightness. And, for those of us who have read either "The Peacock Angel" or "Less than a Shadow," the brief mention of American agent Jason Ender is a pleasant surprise. Hopefully, in the next book, we'll get to know Levent better as well as his able detective, Erol Akbay, and the Chief of Police.

Chacko has a wonderful ability to bring the streets and modern-day culture of Istanbul to life. For instance, his references to various Turkish superstitious beliefs as well as his descriptions of the feminist and gay communities within the current Moslem environment are very realistic. Even the book's cover is an added bonus - one of Chacko's photos of tombstones in a Turkish cemetery. Chacko also creates detailed descriptions of the numerous characters involved in this mystery - beyond the in-depth descriptions he provides of both Levent and Akbay.

I read the book in one weekend, as it held my interest while I tried to figure out who committed the murder. I think any reader who likes murder mysteries or fast-paced international intrigue will read the book with the same interest that I had. Then, probably join me in waiting for the next thriller in the Levent series....

My first David Chacko book. Gripping and superbly written. If you like Michael Connelly's books, as do I, you will love Graveyard Eyes.

Written by Russian Orthodox priest Andrew Louth, Greek East and Latin West: The Church AD 681-1071 is the third volume of "The Church in History" series and continues the scholarly accounting, from the end of the Sixth Ecumenical Synod in 681 to the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. Examining the "Greek East" and "Latin West" branches of the church in parallel, and noticing developments destined to eventually foster a schism between Eastern and Western Christianity, Greek East and Latin West discusses iconoclasm, monastic developments, spiritual and intellectual life in Byzantium, and much more. An inset selection of black-and-white photographic plates round out this informed and informative analysis of a pivotal phase in Christian history.

Fr. Louth's book does a great service to the whole Church - both East and West. It carefully and fairly explains the events that led up to the "Great Schism" of 1054 (which, as Louth explains, was but one minor event in the estrangement between East and West).

The main benefit of this book, in my mind, is how he carefully interweaves the history of the Church in both the East and the West during this period. Although it was a time of growing division that eventually led to schism, Fr. Louth demonstrates how many similar currents flowed in both East and West during this time, such as monastic reform.

Finally, for those of us in the West, he also introduces us to characters that most are unfamiliar with: St. Theodore of Stoudios, Patriarch Photios, St. Symeon the New Theologian and other lights of the East. Knowing these men sheds light on Christian Tradition in new and important ways.

I was lucky I was on vacation, because I got this book Wednesday and just couldn't put it down. The Gulf Conspiracy is just one of those books that you dont know what bit is true and what's fiction. I know some guys that were in the Gulf and I've heard some interesting stories from them. I've read some other books by the author Ken McClure : Wildcard, etc and this character in the books, Steven Dunbar, is some sort of scientific ex-Special Forces action hero like Jack Ryan/ James Bond. He doesn't hang about.

A gripping medical thriller which I guess is the best book I've read for a long long time. Highly recommended, even if you're not on vacation !

Once again Ken McClure has set his readers the puzzle: How much of this is fiction? His creation of the Sci-Med Directorate and Steven Dunbar once again leads us through the investigation with an intriguing sub plot that was absolutely brilliant.
I'm sure you will find you can't put it down and I would definitely say that Ken McClure is Scotland's answer to Tom Clancy.