Israel, My Promised

My Promised Land startles in many ways, not least in its relative lack of interest in providing its readers with a handy politics. Shavit…has an undoctrinaire mind. He comes not to praise or to blame, though along the way he does both, with erudition and with eloquence; he comes instead to observe and to reflect. This is the least tendentious book about Israel I have ever read. It is a Zionist book unblinkered by Zionism. It is about the entirety of the Israeli experience. Shavit is immersed in all of the history of his country. While some of it offends him, none of it is alien to him.

His extraordinary chapter on the charismatic and corrupt Aryeh Deri, and the rise of Sephardic religious politics in Israel, richly illustrates the reach of his understanding…. There is love in My Promised Land , but there is no propaganda…. The author of My Promised Land is a dreamer with an addiction to reality. He holds out for affirmations without illusion.

On an issue so prone to polemic, Mr. Although he is a columnist for the left-leaning Israeli daily Haaretz, he transcends tribal politics.

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Sympathetic but unflinching, he finds things to chastise—and admire—on every side. No single work depicts the complexity, vitality and achievements of Israel society as well. While Shavit is being brutally honest regarding the Zionist enterprise, he is also insightful, sensitive, and attentive to the dramatic life-stories of his fascinating heroes and heroines.

The result is a unique nonfiction book that has the qualities of fine literature. It is only recently that a crack in the propaganda of Israel hasbara has appeared with the recognition of the facts of the Nakba, the catastrophe for the Palestinians of the creation of the State of Israel and the years leading up to it.

My Promised Land is an attempt to overcome this "Story of Israel", of the kind propagated by the movie Exodus, pure propaganda that has been regular fare for Americans and Israelis for decades, with some concessions to fact. Ari Shavit tells us about some nasty stuff that Israelis have done, so that he can establish credibility, but it's a gloss that doesn't come off to this reader. This book is still largely the same old story of heroics and transformation, of the servile Jew become the manly sun-bronzed warrior, with some hand-wringing that the old spirit of the kibbutz is dead.

Justice stands on it's own with each of us. You and I must make decisions on what we will do concerning others. To be just we must look away from the mystical view so entrenched from our upbringing. Ari Shavit is as earnest as can be, but Rationalizing Robbery would be a better title for this book.

Americans, who enjoy full freedom and equality, can, provided they are Jewish, move to Israel and be granted the right to take land from the natives, under the pretext that there were people practicing Judaism there years ago.

The Idea of Israel and My Promised Land – review | Books | The Guardian

To have New Yorkers, with full rights as Americans, claiming Palestinian land as a Jewish right, would be farcical if it were not such an outrage: The message of Ari Shavit's book is simple: It's hard to get though it without gagging and, to be honest, I skipped a couple of chapters because I got tired of the "it was a nasty job but I had to do it" kind of testimony from veterans of the Nakba, the catastrophe of ethnic cleansing that has Arabs rotting in squalid 65 year old refugee camps as I write, while Israelis shop in malls and bathe on the beaches that once were open to all.

The ultimate absurdity is that Israel is somehow necessary for the protection of Jews worldwide. The United States has long proven to be the true promised land, not just for Jews but for all groups of people. Americans should wake up and shrug off the hypocritical "special relationship" with Israel that is a betrayal of liberty and justice for all. The only reason to read My Promised Land is to get an idea of what the view of a moderate from inside the bubble is like - most don't try to be as even-handed as Ari Shavit.

Skip this book and read Max Blumenthal's outstanding factual look at modern Israel: View all 17 comments. May 13, Gabby rated it it was amazing Shelves: The opinions expressed in my review are my own. It was obvious to me from the very beginning of this fascinating and informative book that for Ari Shavit writing this history of those who developed and continue to nourish the state of Israel was a labor of love.

The whole atmosphere of this reading experience was one of devotion to telling Israel's story from the beginning of the state to the present time as well as hopes for the future. It was done as factually as possible by telling the story directly from as many people who were able to share what they experienced in the context of the time frame in which these events occurred.

For each of the participants, in sharing their personal experience, the passion, courage, and attitude to never give up on the formation of the Israeli state is a constant. The dedication to forming a state as well as providing it with the continued devotion to having it remain relevant and viable as an entity to be reckoned with globally is an inspiration and testament to the strength of the human spirit.

As Shavit puts it, "Israel is a nation-state founded in the heart of the Arab world A wide circle of million Arabs surrounds the Zionist state and threatens its very existence. Given those numbers, Israel doesn't appear to have much going for it. Unless, of course, the sheer will power to exist as a free society is taken into account. Israel is continued proof that people with one specific goal in mind, the right and necessity to have and keep a homeland, is motivation enough to succeed no matter what the cost. Shavit begins his story with the arrival in Jaffa of 30 passengers from London, England, among whom is is his great-grandfather, Herbert Bentwich.

It is Bentwich who believes that Jews must settle in their ancient homeland. Shavit follows the route his great-grandfather took upon arrival in Jaffa, and he continues throughout the book to visit all the areas in which early settlers were faced with challenge after challenge in learning how to live productively in places that were essentially undeveloped.

He tells how these settlers learned to work the land. If technology did not exist to support their activity, they invented it themselves. The dedication of those people was awe inspiring. They had to be creative, practical, and find sources of income to support these new ideas in agriculture which led to more development in other areas of setting up a life style. Those early years were full of back breaking labor, but no matter what the challenge someone always came through with answers. The result was the development of the orange industry in Jaffa which distributed the fruit throughout Europe.

There are many success stories throughout Israel's history many of which I was unaware. What stands out most about the story of the Jews who came to settle the Israeli state is those who survived the Holocaust. Before Shavit details that, he writes about Masada. For me, that is one of the most heart breaking, and yet inspiring, events in history. I was familiar with the Masada story, but I did not know about the events in the 20th century that led to the revisiting of Masada as a historical shrine. I found Shavit's retelling of the Masada story to be riveting.

There are times when Shavit makes very clear his opinions on certain events in Israel's history, particularly those decisions with which he does not agree. He holds strong opinions about Israel's development of nuclear weapons as well as the continuing struggle over Israel's Occupation of disputed Palestinian territory. I do not agree with some of the conclusions Shavit draws on those two subjects in particular. The Israeli people have been persecuted for thousands of years, and there was a well thought out plan to annihilate the entire Jewish population from the face of the earth.

In view of that history, I believe Israel has every right to do what it needs to do to protect itself. There was no voice of reason dominant enough to stop the murder of over 6 million people. There were no effective "peaceniks" speaking out nor taking the measures necessary to stop the murder of so many innocent people. For me, that's a lesson learned. If Israel doesn't stick up for its own, no one else is going to do it for them. I think it's easy to sit back and take a moralistic attitude; it's much more difficult to live each day knowing the Arab world does not follow that same lofty position.

With that said, I still highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Israel along with the dedication of the men and women who brought a dream of statehood to fruition. Shavit does an excellent job of presenting all sides of the issues Israel faced in the past and what they will have to face in the future if they want to remain a viable global entity. I wish I could give this book a rating higher than 5 Stars. It's worth at least a Mar 21, K rated it liked it Shelves: Just took off two stars after reading this article.

Shame on you, Ari Shavit. I still think it's a great book, but there's no way I'm giving five stars to a work that includes intellectually dishonest reporting. And if the seminal chapter on Lydda, often excerpted as proof of Israel's wrongdoings, was misleading, what might that mean about some of the other book's claims?

My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel

Earlier, more glowing review: If you're searching for one word to capture the essence of Israel, that word migh Updated review: If you're searching for one word to capture the essence of Israel, that word might be complex. I lived in Israel for six years, and it's a land of strong, loud opinions and multiple conflicting perspectives.

It's hard to capture all of that in a book, much less a readable and engaging one that's not too cumbersome yet not simplistic. I'll leave it to smarter, better-informed people than I to judge whether Ari Shavit has fully achieved that in this book. I'll simply say he comes close, close enough for me to give the book five stars. Shavit makes a wise choice when he uses microhistory to examine Israel at different points of time, from different perspectives, with different goals in mind. It makes for readable and engaging narratives that educate the reader. Each of these narratives, while seeming to focus on one or a few individuals, shed light on the whole and offer insight into important segments of Israeli history and society.

Shavit begins with his great-grandfather, a devout British Jew who journeys to Palestine in Bentwich, Shavit's great-grandfather, embraces Herzl's vision of a Jewish state in Israel with idealistic fervor and tunnel vision, wholly absorbed in this great white hope for Jewish continuity and blind to the fact that people already live in Palestine. Shavit then takes us into a s kibbutz, where devoted pioneers settle the land at great personal sacrifice.

We visit an orange grove in the s, owned by a successful Jew who represents a further step on the road of Jews investing in Palestine, developing self-confidence, and becoming a threat to their Arab neighbors. We join a Jewish leader in the early s as he hikes with a group to Masada, asserting his ownership of the land and his identification with those who died resisting those who wanted to wrest that ownership from them. The picture darkens as Shavit takes us to Lydda, where the War of Independence displaces Arab civilians from their longtime homes. Moving into the s, we encounter post-Holocaust Jews who have suffered horrifically and found refuge in the new state of Israel.

No group, Arab or Jew, has a monopoly on displacement and suffering, Shavit seems to be telling us here. Shavit then takes us into the late s, where he explores the issue of Israel's developing nuclear power and what this means in terms of Israel's relationship with its many enemies. We get the perspective of fervent settlers beginning in the mids, individuals who believe it is incumbent upon them to build communities in the occupied territories in order to preserve Israel's existence. Skipping ahead into the early s, we visit an army prison camp where Palestinian inmates interact with their ambivalent Israeli guards.

We then learn the story of the Oslo accords, what they were supposed to achieve and how they failed. Shavit introduces us to Aryeh Deri, a Sephardic politician who gives us a window into some of Israel's internal turmoil. He takes us into the club scene of the early s, where young Israelis rebel against the traditional austerity and idealism and existential fear and embrace hedonism as a kind of life-affirming denial. Shavit then introduces us to the Palestinian perspective of the mids. We also learn about increasing capitalistic aspirations and demands for social justice among Israeli young adults.

We learn about the crisis posed by Iran, and how and why it was ignored for too long. Shavit pulls all of these stories, interviews, and perspectives together in his final chapters. He describes Israel as having experienced a total of seven revolts: While each of these revolts was justified and sought rights for an oppressed minority, Shavit says, their cumulative effect was divisive and destructive.

The early Ben Gurion state, with its kibbutz-socialist mentality and omnipotent government, got the state through its early existential threats and forged the way for it to become a real country. But this state also neglected the individual rights of a wide range of groups, resulting in the fissures we have today. Sadly, today's government lacks the strength to reunite Israeli's multifaceted society. Shavit describes the various threats to Israel, from within and without, as seven concentric circles. The outermost, he says, is the Islamic circle. Israel is surrounded by Islamic countries, many of which are becoming increasingly radical and hostile to the Westernized democracy in their midst.

Inside that circle is the Arab circle. Arab nationalism is on the rise, creating political unrest and turmoil. Inside that circle is the Palestinian circle, a group of people who feels dispossessed by the Jewish state they never wanted. So you've got religious, political, and personal forces coming together to threaten Israel's existence. But there are also threats from within Israeli society. There are the Arab citizens to whom Israel has not figured out how to relate.

There is the loss of the utopian kibbutz idealism that drove earlier Israelis to build and defend their land. There is the difficulty maintaining a democratic stance with growing minorities who don't share democratic values. And ultimately, there is the loss of identity and culture among Israelis. Israelis no longer know who they really are, Shavit states.

Shavit also acknowledges his pro-peace leanings, which are evident in the book, while recognizing the realistic challenges to peace. While no book can fully capture the complexities and fractures of Israeli society, or offer a truly balanced perspective on Israel's volatile conflicts, Shavit comes pretty close in this readable work.

Highly recommended for those with an interest in the topic. This is not an ideological review. I chose this book not due to any special interest in Israel, but for my world books challenge. For those keeping score at home, my book from Palestine got 2 stars as well. My Promised Land is a long opinion piece, including a partial history of Israel and a smattering of memoir. Shavit makes no This is not an ideological review. Unfortunately, overall I found this book to be repetitive, long-winded and sentimental.

So the history sections were hit or miss for me, but mostly miss. Yet that was probably the only chapter I enjoyed. Several chapters go into detail on rather eccentric topics: I could have done with more explanation of that, and fewer passages about lemon and orange groves, or sex in nightclub bathrooms.

At any rate, Shavit makes some odd choices about what material to cover, perhaps determined by whom he was able to interview. But Shavit does a good job of including Jewish voices with which he disagrees, giving them space to talk and not vilifying opposing viewpoints. And what is the crux of the Oriental Israeli story? Do the two really converge?

Perhaps worthwhile for those with a strong interest in Israel, but I would advise casual readers to steer clear. Aug 13, jordan rated it it was amazing. That feels like a copout. Labels might not matter to some, but I settled in the end on a creative analytical meditation on the miraculous rise, strengths, and challenges of modern Israel. One thing is certain: Writing on a topic that often breeds over simplification and over-confident statements made with excessive surety, Shavit stands out for a refreshing willingness to admit to complexity.

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And as he points out, miracle is very much the right word. Against overwhelming odds, a people dispersed for years did reunite in their ancient homeland and create a vibrant democracy. Yet no state is perfect. Nation building is never a clean business. Nation building in wartime is still more so. Nor does he mince words: I reject the sniper [sadistic individuals who behaved unethically]. They did the dirty work that enables my people, myself, my daughter and my sons to live.

Yet no one argues for turning back the clock, at least not anywhere else but Israel and in Israel, only for one side. No one argues for the non-natives of North America to decamp. And, if that sounds too much like a story from the murky distant past, consider Europe. Tens and tens of millions of Greeks, Turks, Germans, Hungarians, Poles, Ukrainians and others dispelled across national boundaries over the last century as these states rose.

Yes, these were tragic tales, but the world marched on. Like many, Shavit sees the Arab-Israeli conflict in terms of Despite discussing various ways to deal with the legacy of , he returns time and again to Yet the story he tells forces more painful realizations. Anti-Jewish violence far predates the establishment of Israel, as he offers a too brief summation of the terror and violence committed against Jews under the British Mandate.

In a trope that echoes across time, he describes how the Zionist leadership often condemns Jewish retaliatory violence even as Arab leaders lionize those who murder Jewish civilians, women, and even children. When he looks to the future he looks forward to a world where: He can be arrogant, even self-righteous. Some of his interviews seem more of an opportunity to monologue for a paragraph in the form of a question which he follows with a terse one sentence answer.

Yet none of that takes away from the fundamental strength of his analysis or the deep pathos he feels for the Jewish State. View all 3 comments. Nov 19, Trish rated it really liked it Shelves: Shavit begins what he hopes is an international dialogue with this book. Such a dialogue has been long in coming. Perhaps the time is ripe. He can see that the Israeli position in the Middle East is dangerous and endangered. He uses interviews to illustrate various events that have shaped the nation and its now shifting worldview.

Shavit shows us how both the right and the left in Israel today have flaws in their grasp of where Israel is in relation to the Palestinians, the Arab world, indeed, e Shavit begins what he hopes is an international dialogue with this book. Shavit shows us how both the right and the left in Israel today have flaws in their grasp of where Israel is in relation to the Palestinians, the Arab world, indeed, even America.

He is blunt, bruising, argumentative but illuminating as he cuts away at justifications of former and would-be leaders. The underpinnings of their stance are revealed in this way. We know where Shavit stands: One thing is clear to me: I reject the sniper.

But I will not damn the brigade commander and the military governor and the training group boys. They did the dirty, filthy work that enables my people, myself, my daughter, and my sons to live. But although development was rampant, social gaps were narrow. The government was committed to full employment. There was a genuine effort to provide every person with housing, work, education, and health care. The newborn state was one of the most egalitarian democracies in the world. The Israel of the s was a just social democracy. But it was also a nation of practicality that combined modernity, nationalism, and development in an aggressive manner.

There was no time, and there was no peace of mind, and therefore there was no human sensitivity. As the state became everything, the individual was marginalized. As it marched toward the future, Israel erased the past. There was no place for the previous landscape, no place for previous identities. Everything was done en masse. Everything was imposed from above.

There was an artificial quality to everything. Zionism was not an organic process anymore but a futuristic coup. For its outstanding economic, social, and engineering achievements, the new Israel paid a dear moral price. There was no notion of human rights, civil rights, due process, or laissez-faire. There was no equality for the Palestinian minority and no compassion for the Palestinian refugees. There was little respect for the Jewish Diaspora and little empathy for the survivors of the Holocaust.

The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel

The folks he is talking about were big, big in every way: But they were only men. They did the best they could at what they were best at. Most of us would be proud to have that written on our gravestones. Shavit acknowledges it is difficult to ignore the truth of displaced Palestinians. This is a phenomenon without parallel in the West.

This is systematic brutality no democracy can endure. But many in Israel are willing to live with this. It was difficult for me to finish reading this book. But the state of Israel may be facing what every nation appears to be facing these days: While it is possible for me to feel empathy for individuals, it is difficult for me to feel sorry for a nation. He is not optimistic.

We all have reason for despair, but real leadership refuses to acknowledge the same boundaries that constrain the rest of us. What have we wrought? Feb 10, Mal Warwick rated it it was amazing Shelves: The book interweaves memoir with commentary and interviews with travelogue, yielding both a sketchy but useful history of emergence of the Jewish state and an assessment of its present-day reality and prospects for the future.

Shavit writes with verve and conviction — conviction, for sure, as he argues passionately with many of his interview subjects. His deep feelings about his subject are unmistakable: Shavit is, in short, a quintessential Israeli who wears his emotions on his sleeve. The other was a novel, The Debba, by Avner Mandelman. Though framed as a murder mystery, the novel is, more properly, an inquiry into the nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The two books are well worth reading together. Feb 10, Jeffrey rated it really liked it Shelves: Ari Shavit tries to be fair to everyone.

The first third of the book is heartbreaking as he reminds us of the horrors of the holocaust and the centuries of antisemitism that drove the Jewish people to want a homeland of their own while telling an honest story of the displaced Palestinians who lost their homes to the forces of history. He knows Palestinian history and acknowledges their displacement, and he knows Jewish history and acknowledges it in a very personal way, using his own family stor Ari Shavit tries to be fair to everyone.

He knows Palestinian history and acknowledges their displacement, and he knows Jewish history and acknowledges it in a very personal way, using his own family story as a framework. He tries to keep his head up and his eyes open, especially to better be able to see the true situation of the Palestinians. I learned a lot from his open and straightforward history. The second third of the book was hard for me to read as he highlights the contradictions of modern Israel, a Jewish state founded by non religious Jews now threatened demographically by a non Jewish occupied population.

He outlines seven threats to the existence of the country, starting with the surrounding and inhospitable Islamic world and ending with the Israeli people's own loss of identity in the modern world. The threats and contradictions are daunting, confusing and scary. He interviews leftists and settlers, Generals and ordinary citizens. He walks the fields with a Palestinian friend and listens to his story, his anger and emotion. After reading all this, you have to think, this cannot go on. Finally, he tries to bring it all together, leaving room for some hope. Amazingly, he does so, in spite of it all, and I am left with a feeling of possibility for the future.

None-the-less, modern Israel is a country living on the edge, living surrounded by threats, living in the moment and trying to live up to its own history, but living! Ari Shavit's Promised Land is not a fairy tale or an apology, it is an attempt to put it all in perspective, honestly, without an agenda. An enemy of Israel will find much in the book to agree with and much to hate about Israel, and a lover of Israel will find much to admire and much to cringe at. I recommend the book for both. Jan 02, Rachelle Urist rated it really liked it.

Ari Shavit has written this landmark work with passion, courage, and vision. It is intensely personal. It is also a stunning overview of the rise of the modern state of Israel within the context of 20th century Jewish history. My Promised Land is like a letter, sent through time and space, to Jewish brethren round the world. It beseeches us all to open our eyes to the grim realities that beset our beloved state of Israel. The book reflects the author's sense of mission and purpose, and it testif Ari Shavit has written this landmark work with passion, courage, and vision.

The book reflects the author's sense of mission and purpose, and it testifies to the moral and existential conundrum that besets concerned Israelis and Zionists the world over. They were government officials, policy-makers, writers, scientists, military and intelligence officers, entrepeneurs. The result is a controversial book that both sparks and transcends debate.

It offers firm, historical contextualization. It dares to ask whether Israel can and will continue to exist, given the many forces against it—from within and without. The author emphatically and enthusiastically affirms his love for his homeland. Shavit begins his book with the story of his great-grandfather, the Rt. Honorable Herbert Bentwich, born in and raised in London by parents who had fled Russia.

Sent to the best schools, he became a lawyer. He was among the gifted and highly regarded solicitors of his day. He was blue-eyed, commanding, and loyal to the crown. Unlike many of his enlightened Jewish peers, he remained an orthodox Jew. He and his wife had eleven children. If I were his son, I am sure I would have rebelled against him. His world—royalist, religious, patriarchal, and imperial—is eras away from my world. But as I study him from a distance—more than a century of distance—I cannot deny the similarities between us.

I am surprised to find how much I identify with my eccentric great-grandfather. Theodore Herzl, the founder of political Zionism, put great stock in their journey. Herzl wanted the report presented at the first Zionist Congress, to be held in Basel. Bentwich journeyed to find God, not a future Jewish state. His report to Herzl was positive. Ultimately, Bentwich and his family relocated to Palestine.

That the tiny but determined entity, newly called Israel, could win against such enmity, is staggering. But, he goes on, the odds are shifting. The Arab majority of the middle east is growing. The menace to Israel is being harnessed with patience and resolution. Yes, one finds glimmers of peace, here and there, and voices of reconciliation.

But those glimmers and voices are quickly dimmed. They transformed the image of Jew from victim to brawny, self-assured man of the hour. The new Jew was self-reliant, ready to take action. The change was astonishing. The technological advances that transformed the land into a picture postcard of the green thumb were and are staggering. The Jewish Israeli was a figure of moral, physical, intellectual, and psychological strength. But Shavit never forgets the Arab side of the story, too. The expulsions and massacres of Arab villagers—in Lydda and Deir Yassin, for example—must not be ignored.

He pays heed to the legitimate grievances of Arabs living in Israel. While most live far better in Israel than they would in neighboring Arab countries, they are, compared with most Israelis, second class citizens. Shavit writes much of the book in present tense, giving a sense of immediacy, even urgency, to the narrative. The book is often punctuated with personal memories, but it is not a memoir. Shavit allow his personal biases to dictate the realities he presents. This book is the how and why of the Zionist cause; an enterprise that bound Jews together for millennia.

In the face of Nazi Germany, the Zionist cause became an imperative. The establishment of a state of refuge was essential to the existence, vitality, and future of the Jewish people. For centuries, the Jewish people had invoked Zion in their daily prayers. In the 20th Century, whether or not a Jew began the day with prayers, whether or not he believed in God, safe haven was essential to life. In his endnotes, Shavit writes: Rather, it is a personal journey through contemporary and historic Israel, recounting the larger Israel saga by telling several dozen specific Israeli stories that are significant and poignant.

It is an important book. However riveting, this book can be as depressing as it is thought-provoking. Jan 19, Hannah rated it it was amazing Shelves: An amazing book presenting the triumph and tragedy of Israel, as promised in the book's subtitle. The beautiful along with the ugly. I loved the fact that there was no whitewashing. The moral ambiguity along with the love of the land shines through in every page. I grew up with mixed feelings about the state of Israel. I didn't come from a rabidly anti Zionist home, yet the stuff we were taught in school gave me An amazing book presenting the triumph and tragedy of Israel, as promised in the book's subtitle.

I didn't come from a rabidly anti Zionist home, yet the stuff we were taught in school gave me uncertain vibes. As I grew older I was leaning towards zionism in a stronger way, yet toward the right. As time went on and my ideological identity further developed, I wasn't so sure that the right was what I identified with anymore. Reading this book somehow clarified so many things for me, in an abstract way.

Helped me formulate my thoughts. Although I'm not sure I share the political view of the author, I also don't feel like I need to have a political opinion on Israel. I'm just glad that I can love the land in my own way. Truly a book worth reading. Apr 04, Skylar rated it it was amazing Shelves: I have no idea who the author is.

However, I'm more familiar with Zionism and Israel than the average American, but I try to avoid listening to the politics. I was really surprised by this book after reading the description. I thought it would make me angry or shake my Zionist foundations or challenge my assumptions. It did those things, but not in the way I expected. In short, the book analyzes internal struggles of Israel, from settlements to racism to both Arabs and non-Ashke I'll be honest.

In short, the book analyzes internal struggles of Israel, from settlements to racism to both Arabs and non-Ashkenazi Jews. I learned some new things about Israel and Israelis, and the analysis was well-researched, written beautifully, and incredibly fair. That's what surprised me: It was an honest account of the author's struggles with his own assumptions.

I found that I could really respect his statements because he pointed out what challenged him or confused him. The only frustrating thing is that you rarely got his "conclusion" on a topic. I thought this book would be full of conclusions, but all I got were ideas, potentialities, possibilities, and questions. For instance, I understand that he believes the settlements are a moral wrong that MUST be removed, but in the concluding chapter, his thoughts on how removal of the settlements could condemn Israel to death, I wasn't sure if he still wanted to keep that stand.

I think he showed the evolution of his political stands over the book it wasn't explicit, so I could be wrong , but I don't know what conclusions he came to or why. That was kind of frustrating, as good and beautiful as the book was. While I highly recommend the book, I don't feel that I know much about the author's politics after reading it. May 16, Michael Griswold rated it really liked it.

Books on Israel typically fall into two categories: Ari Shavit as a reporter for one of Israel's leading daily newspaper falls into the pro-Israel category, so perhaps one would expect a cheerleading love letter about the glories of Israel. But the picture painted by Shavit is far more complex than Israel being an absolute good or bad. Shavit takes the reader on a historical and biographical journey from the 's through prese Books on Israel typically fall into two categories: Shavit takes the reader on a historical and biographical journey from the 's through present to discuss the founding of Israel, the growth and development of the state, and the challenges facing the state in the future.

What really struck me is that he was able to interview members of Israeli society including writers, businessmen, and politicians; so that it doesn't appear that the analysis was weighted towards any one class. What the reader ends up with is this complex picture of a society that is both prospering from the days of its founding and a society that is currently or will soon be confronting severe demographic challenges that threaten to alter the character of the state, and international challenges that threaten Israel's survival once again.

All in all, a solid effort. Tiene una cantidad de entrevistas importantes a los personajes iconicos. There was hope for quiet, but there will be no quiet here.