It does not present both sides fairly,it is heavily pro Palestinian and alsmost sounds like Hamas propaganda.

For a "primer" the author seems unaware of recent scholarship on the 1948 war, diplomatic history after 1967, the settlements, Oslo Accords, Camp David II, the Barrier, and the Al-Aqsa Intifada. The intentions (we historians are always cautious about professing certainty about intentions) of the Israelis are always to oppress Palestinians and seize their land. Bennis ignores the role of the Palestinian leadership and the Arab states after 1967. Her eulogy to Yasir Arafat is strange. Much of the book is about the sufferings of the Palestians in the territories. Many of the facts are wrong or given peculiar interpretations. For example, the British ended the Mandate in 1947 (p. 12), the "remnants of the ancient Jewish kingdom, which was conquered by Rome in 70 CE" (11); many of the author's "facts" prior to 1947 are actually propaganda (eg, pp.11-12), not undisputed events. The author even manages to turn Oslo into a polemic against "Israel" (always a faceless abstraction, as if there has always been a unified Israeli policy since 1967; the "Palestinians" are always humanized in the plural). The questions are often rhetorical and preloaded, in the manner of "When did you stop beating your wife?" such as Why do Mandela & Carter call Israel's policy 'apartheid'? This book is not a "primer" but a Palestinian view.
I'm adopting this work as a text for my Arab-Israeli course this semester to illustrate how one-sided an "introduction" can be.
Thomas Renna

For a "primer" the author seems unaware of recent scholarship on the 1948 war, diplomatic history after 1967, the settlements, Oslo Accords, Camp David II, the Barrier, and the Al-Aqsa Intifada. The intentions (we historians are always cautious about professing certainty about intentions) of the Israelis are always to oppress Palestinians and seize their land. Bennis ignores the role of the Palestinian leadership and the Arab states after 1967. Her eulogy to Yasir Arafat is strange. Much of the book is about the sufferings of the Palestians in the territories. Many of the facts are wrong or given peculiar interpretations. For example, the British ended the Mandate in 1947 (p. 12), the "remnants of the ancient Jewish kingdom, which was conquered by Rome in 70 CE" (11); many of the author's "facts" prior to 1947 are actually propaganda (eg, pp.11-12), not undisputed events. The author even manages to turn Oslo into a polemic against "Israel" (always a faceless abstraction, as if there has always been a unified Israeli policy since 1967; the "Palestinians" are always humanized in the plural). The questions are often rhetorical and preloaded, in the manner of "When did you stop beating your wife?" such as Why do Mandela & Carter call Israel's policy 'apartheid'? This book is not a "primer" but a Palestinian view.
I'm adopting this work as a text for my Arab-Israeli course this semester to illustrate how one-sided an "introduction" can be.
Thomas Renna

In recent years Ms. Bennis has become a marginally successful professional denigrator of the United States and self-styled champion of "The Palestinian Cause". For those familiar with her agenda, this book offers no surprises. It will be a comforting pap for her fellow-travellers, but there is neither an original thesis nor original arguments here. She does not seem at all interested in engaging those who disagree with her, and it will not likely change anybody's opinions of the conflict. There is no merit in this book as a literary work, yet it also fails as propaganda because she has confined her audience to the already-converted. It is really nothing more than a political tuning fork to help keep the choir singing in key. I give it one star because there is some minimal amount of entertainment value.

Bennis gives the facts and answers the questions about the Palastinian-Israeli conflict.She unmasks the phony stoty that is fed to the American public.God bless her for her years of research and her couage to speak the truth.

This book is a concise, honest explanation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from the beginning to the present. This conflict is complex and misunderstood. This book cuts through the rhetoric and presents the issues in an unbiased manner. Read this book and then decide if the US policy regarding this issue is one that you can support.

Bennis gives the facts and answers the questions about the Palastinian-Israeli conflict.She unmasks the phony stoty that is fed to the American public.God bless her for her years of research and her couage to speak the truth.

Ok, this book may not be the most "neutral" source of information regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it is nonetheless a source of vital information that is far too often neglected by Americans. Most voices in the U.S. are either unmercifully pro-Israel, or muddled in a weak sense of neutrality that is afraid of making any strong statements.

I found the format of this book extremely helpful. It's very easy to navigate, and its language is clear and simple.

This short and easy to read book clears away much of the intentional confusion and misunderstanding created by AIPAC and Hamas propaganda.

This primer filled gaps in my historical knowledge of the region, particulary the various Summits and Accords. Having lived with both a Palestinian and a Jordanian in college, I am familiar with the "other side of the story," which is difficult to come by even in the college classroom. We in the USA are so insulated to the reality of the conflict that it blows my mind. The PR/Psyops disinformation campaign waged against the American people by the media, acadamia, and the government concerning this coflict is nothing short of extraordinary. The only way to become truely informed about this issue, is to either visit the Occupied Territories, or read a book like this.

I read this book. It is a source of misinformation that is worth at most one star. If you would like to know more about it, please feel free to e-mail me.

This book is a good source of misinformation.

Israel is under attack. And some of its attackers have come up with a number of bogus accusations against it. But rather than deplore all this, or even ignore it, this book tends to cite such accusations as if they were valid.

The disputed West Bank is referred to as "occupied." The United Nations, an organization that is heavily biased against (and obsessed with) Israel, is taken seriously. And even the bias of the UN is insifficient for the author, so a number of UN resolutions are mischaracterized.

Rather than ask for human rights for all, Bennis prefers to cite some "human rights" organizations when they act perversely and side with the opponents of human rights for Israelis.

Still, I have to wonder why someone would write such a book. Is the purpose merely to support an arbitrary attack on the human rights of a minority? Or is it to support a more general Right of thugs to oppress the minorities of their choice?

This book is an excellent primer to understanding the Israel-Palestine conflict through an international law perspective. The book is in a Questions & Answers format which allows readers to quickly find out answers to questions about the conflict without having the navigate through a lot of material. The only drawback to this primer is in its previous edition it had a recommended reading list and websites. I hope in the next edition they will include that again into the book.

An insightful book giving a history of this terrible conflict. A must for those wishing to learn more about the causes of of todays proplems in the region. The facts in this book will not make many Zionists happy as it explains how Israel needs to keep the conflict in operation to reach it's ultimate target, THE COMPLETE TAKEOVER OF THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES.