Since the attack of 07 October 2023 on Israel (2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel – Wikipedia) the conflict in Gaza has dominated the news. As of 03 January 2024 at least 22,185 Palestinians have been killed and at least 57,000 injured by the Israel Defence Force since October 7. The death toll from the October 7 attack on Israel is now given as 1,139. The Israelis predict that the war will continue for many months into 2024 (Israel’s war in Gaza will go on for months, warns Netanyahu (ft.com)) The world looks on horrified at the suffering, and wonders if the conflict will escalate into a larger conflagration in The Middle East.
Antagonisms in The Middle East haven’t erupted out of nowhere, of course. There are deep and complex historical roots to current events. Acreages of newsprint and shelves groaning full of books have addressed the Arab-Israeli conflict. Should you wish for a deeper understanding of these current events in a single volume, Ian Black’s book Enemies and Neighbours: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel 1917-2017 comes highly recommended.
This book offers a fine balance between historical sweep and telling detail. The analysis is sharp, ranging over all the social, economic, and political forces at play. Above all it exhibits exceptional fairness to all sides.
Check if this superb history is in stock at your local library Home | South Lanarkshire Libraries (sllclibrary.co.uk)
640 pages in Penguin paperback
First published 2017
ISBN 978-0141979144
