Reading roots of Middle East conflict

Debbie Jacob

THE ISRAELI/HAMAS war is complicated, and it is about more than terrorism and the Gaza Strip. No story about Israel and Palestine can be told without examining ancient world history in the Middle East, the effects of colonialism on the region, the creation of the Jewish state, and key Middle Eastern leaders who have shaped the politics of the region.

Below are the books I have read over the years to understand the history and politics of the region.

1. A State at Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion by Tom Segev – Journalist/historian Segev combines his expertise in both fields, sifting through archives and interviewing sources to create a complex portrait of Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister. This is essential reading to understand the roots of Zionism's extreme nationalism with no place for Palestinians in Israel.

2. Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel by Francine Klagsbrun – Meir’s biography is a story of political consciousness forged from being a persecuted Jew in Czarist Russia, where she was born in 1898, and an early life in the US shaped by socialism. When she moved to Israel to live on a kibbutz, David Ben-Gurion quickly noted her leadership qualities. Klagbrun creates a well-rounded picture of Israel's first woman prime minister.

3. Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Ronen Bergman – This multiple award-winning book tells the chilling history of Mossad and Israel’s assassination programme, justified by Israel’s politicians as necessary for the country’s survival. This book has haunted me since I read it years ago. Bergman presents detailed descriptions of Mossad's political assassinations.

4. Killing a King: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the Remaking of Israel by Dan Ephron – Weaving together the stories of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin's life – particularly his last days – with the life of Yigal Amir, a Jewish extremist, Ephron presents a chilling account of Rabin's assassination and its impact on Israel. Superb writing makes readers feel they are present in these events.

5. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe – Renowned Israeli historian Pappe tells the horrific story of 400 Palestinian villages destroyed by Israel. This Palestinian genocide, often called "ethnic cleansing," presents important historical and political background information for all Israeli/Palestinian conflicts.

6. The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of the Occupied Territories by Ilan Pappe – This follow-up to The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine has much of the same information as the previous book, but concentrates more on the confinement of Palestinians in designated areas.

6. The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian Dynasty – Here, historian Ilan Pappe presents the story of the Husaynis who ruled Palestine from 1700 to 1948. Covering Napoleon’s invasion, the occupation by the Ottoman Empire, World War I, colonialism, and the effects of Zionism on the region, Pappe gives today’s problems a historical context.

7. Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on the US-Israeli War Against the Palestinians – Linguist Noam Chomsky, an outspoken critic of US politics, and Ilan Pappe collaborate on this book that examines the Gaza Strip as a humanitarian crisis.

8. The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin by Jonathan Phillips – Kurdish Muslim leader Saladin's biography puts ancient conflicts in the Middle East in a Muslim perspective. Saladin, the first sultan of Egypt and Syria, captured Jerusalem in the third Crusade in 1187. He governed with a firm, fair hand, earned the respect of most people in the region – including Christians and Jews – and proved that Muslims and Jews could co-exist.

9. Arafat and the Dream of Palestine: An Insider's Account by Bassam Abu Sharif – The story of how the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO)'s leader transformed his image from terrorist to recognised leader in the international community begins with an action-packed description of how he survived a plane crash in the Libyan desert. Read this book along with Killing a King to understand the difficulties any Israeli or Palestinian leader has in brokering peace in the Middle East.

10. Shah of Shahs by Ryszard Kapuscinski – This renowned Polish journalist, famous for documenting coups firsthand, captures the life, politics and downfall of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. His overthrow brought an anti-American, fundamental Islamic regime to power in Iran, which now supports the Sunni political organisation of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Shi’ite political organisation of Hezbollah in Lebanon against Israel.

Understanding the roots of the Middle East conflict requires delving into both sides’ political perspectives. Most of these books, written by journalists, are informative, gripping, fast-paced, non-fiction narratives.