"This is the best book on the subject at present. Highly recommended." -- Library Journal (starred review)
"[Mr. Tessler is] thoughtful, well-informed and resolutely fair-minded... rigorous and commiserative alike, and his gloss on the fallout from the creation of Israel, which included a counterflow of millions of Jewish immigrants from the Arab world, is among the best things in the book." -- David Schoenbaum, New York Times Book Review
"A dense, well-annotated portrait of Jewish and Arab histories, national aspirations, and conflicts, focusing on the origins of modern Zionism and Arab nationalism with a view to the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Most will profit from the careful scholarship and the balanced judgments and will hope that [Tessler] is right in concluding that the Israeli-Palestinian dispute may finally be on its way to resolution." -- Foreign Affairs
"... fascinating and enlightening." -- Booklist
"... a truly monumental yet easy to read work of scholarship." -- Hadassah Magazine
"I consider Tessler's work a real breakthrough in the systematic and in-depth analysis of the Arab-Jewish conflict in its historical context. The volume is well balanced, objective, and comprehensive. His conclusion that the conflict is solvable for the benefit of all parties is anchored in a careful and well-documented piece of research." -- Baruch Kimmerling
"Mark Tessler's new book is an authoritative source on the evolution and the dynamics of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is one of the few books that offers a balanced, enlightened, and thorough analysis of the various aspects of the conflict and the politics ofthe region. A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is a must for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses on the Middle East." -- Emile Sahliyeh
"This timely study is the most comprehensive history to date of the century-old struggle between Zionists (and, later, Israelis) and Palestinians for historic Palestine. Based on the best works of recent scholarship, Mark Tessler's History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is a major contribution. Sensitive to the viewpoints of the protagonists, Tessler transcends partisanship and presents a largely balanced and detailed analysis. This work is a rare example of how the history of the conflict should be written." -- Philip Mattar
"The main characteristic of Mark Tessler's book is 'objectivity without detachment.' It is this and much more -- a work of unprecedented empathy for both sides... [Tessler] has put together a very readable and cogent narrative of historical developments spanning more than a century. His balanced analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from 1948 to the Declaration of Principles of 1993 forms the core of his perceptive book which is certain to remain the definitive study on this conflict for some time." -- Jacob M. Landau
"Teachers and students alike, after some understandable initial hestitation as to the need for 'yet another' volume on the Arab-Israeli conflict, will quickly discover the many merits of this carefully crafted, well-written, and nuanced treatement of its complex and highly charged subject." -- International Journal of Middle East Studies
"Thoroughly researched and comprehensive in scope, this book is an impressive achievement by any measure." -- Journal of Church and State
This timely, comprehensive, and objective history provides a constructive framework for thinking realistically about the prospects for peace. Highlighting the historic symmetry of the two peoples and emphasizing the potential for cooperation between them, Tessler presents the case for mutual recognition and a two-state solution.
| Preface | ||
| A Note on Transliteration | ||
| Pt. I | Jews and Arabs before the Conflict: The Congruent Origins of Modern Zionism and Arab Nationalism | 1 |
| 1 | Jewish History and the Emergence of Modern Political Zionism | 7 |
| 2 | Arab History and the Origins of Nationalism in the Arab World | 69 |
| Pt. II | Emergence and History of the Conflict to 1948 | 123 |
| 3 | The Conflict Takes Shape | 127 |
| 4 | The Dual Society in Mandatory Palestine | 185 |
| Pt. III | Routinization of the Conflict, 1948-1967 | 269 |
| 5 | The Palestinian Disaster and Basic Issues after 1948 | 273 |
| 6 | Israel and the Arab States through June 1967 | 336 |
| Pt. IV | The Palestinian Dimension Reemerges: From the June War through Camp David | 399 |
| 7 | Postwar Diplomacy and the Rise of the Palestine Resistance Movement | 407 |
| 8 | Israel, the Palestinians, and the Occupied Territories in the 1970s | 465 |
| Pt. V | The High Price of Stalemate: Confrontations between Israel and the Palestinians in the 1980s | 533 |
| 9 | Violent Confrontations in the Early 1980s | 535 |
| 10 | Futile Diplomacy in the Mid-1980s | 600 |
| 11 | The Intifada and Beyond | 677 |
| Epilogue: The Beginning of the End? | 753 | |
| Notes | 763 | |
| Bibliography | 857 | |
| Index | 889 |
Overview
"This is the best book on the subject at present. Highly recommended." -- Library Journal (starred review)
"[Mr. Tessler is] thoughtful, well-informed and resolutely fair-minded... rigorous and commiserative alike, and his gloss on the fallout from the creation of Israel, which included a counterflow of millions of Jewish immigrants from the Arab world, is among the best things in the book." -- David Schoenbaum, New York Times Book Review
"A dense, well-annotated portrait of Jewish and Arab histories, national aspirations, and conflicts, focusing ...