Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-2001 Paperback – August 1, 2001

First of all, let me say that the kindle edition is a 2-star mess. It's riddled with typos and formatting errors. It's also "buggy." On multiple occasions, I had to restart my kindle device to get it to unfreeze – nothing wrong with my device, it has only ever acted up with this particular book.I didn't want my review to reflect the horrid kindle edition. Rather, I want my review to reflect the book itself. I've read many books on the history of the modern state of Israel, the history of Zionism, the history of the Arab-Israeli Wars, etc. This book, I believe, offers the most complete portrayal of the history of Israel of them all – and from both Israeli and Arab/Palestinian perspectives.It is neither a Jeremiad against Israel, nor is it a polemic against the Palestinians. It is a fair and balanced account that shows the good and the bad of both sides in this protracted struggle. Even if you have already formed an opinion on who is "right" in this struggle, this is a worthwhile read. I highly recommend it!

You will be hard-pressed to find Benny Morris' own views on the conflict in this book, as the entirety of the book deals with the reality of what happened - which is precisely what I wanted. It is an extremely detailed accounting of the history, and has taken me close to a month to thoroughly finish the book - so as long as you have the time and the patience, this book is truly a great buy. You do not need to know much about the conflict at all - everything is spelled out clearly and if you take in everything this book offers, you will be in the top percent of people regarding the conflict.I must give the book 5 stars. I am extremely impressed, and I am doubtful one can make a less biased, and more factual historical book on the conflict. You will learn from this book, regardless of if you are Pro-Palestinian, Pro-Israeli, or both or neither - there will be things you did not know, and this will help clarify the history.If you are debating about buying the book, buy it!

Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-1998, Kindle Edition by Benny Morris, is a controversial book on the history and conflict the Israeli people have faced in modern times. This writing is based largely on secondary works and gives a concise study of research covered and here Morris writes a history of this subject, based mainly on primary sources. It is, I suspect, beyond the abilities of a single scholar to include both sides of this dilemma. The author also depicts the events of the 1930s thru the Lebanon War, which is accounted for with primary sources. There is simply too much information - too many archives and documents as shown in parts of the book concerned with the 1948 war and it's consequences. The author is a professor of history and is a key member of the group of Israeli historians known as the New Historians, a term he coined to describe himself, Avi Shlaim and Ilan Pappé. Morris's depiction of an ever ongoing regional and international political accounting, which provides empathic support of the Zionist people now wielding extreme influence over the Arab Palestinian population in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. This book depicts a people who were suppressed for centuries in Europe and protrays a one sided view, which many will disagree. Israeli security is ever an issue with each passing year and the author has depicted a cornered people who will never overcome their past.

Reading the other reviews here it is hard to believe that we have read the same book. Morris, far from being any sort of anti-Zionist fanatic, is in fact consistently sympathetic with the the Zionist movement. In a book that often reads like an apology for Zionists action, he demonstrates, without ever saying so outright, how a" democractic secular state" containing both Jews and Palestinians was never an option since from almost the beginning of the Jewish migration to Palestine the Arabs consistently used violence to attempt to expel them. While a significant number of the Arab elite appeared inclined to tolerate the Jewish presence up to the 1930s, they were eventually driven into silence, exile or the grave by the Husseini family and their sympathizers, who only paused in their campaign of violence against Zionist and their colloborators when physically crushed in battle. Morris even goes some way to demonstrate that the mass exodus from Palestinian refugees in the 1947-48 war, far from being the product of a concerted policy of Jewish ethnic cleasing, occurred on a piece meal basis in response to a wide variety of events, and that much of Jewish ethnic cleansing was a necessary military response to Arab tactics of using villages to cut off roads and lauch attacks on Jewish settlements, and from a practical point of view their really was no effective military alternative to simply depopulating certain strategic areas of their Arab population. The book is well worth reading for providing a comprehensive overview of the conflict from the beginning of European Jewish immigration to Palestine in the 19th century to the election of Barak in 1999. If anything, I suspect it of being too sympathetic to the Zionists, from whose perspective it is clearly written. My next book on the subject will be one written from the Palestinian perspective.Post script:Benny Morris has now come out and openly proclaimed his lack of sympathy for the Palestinian cause, stating that "Yes, the Palestinians are to blame. And this is true not only because they rejected Ehud Barak's generous offer but also because they are unwilling to come to terms with Israel's existence here. They want to throw [the Jews] into the ocean, and anyone who holds a different opinion is mistaken. These are the words of the Historian". [...] . Perhaps some of those who condemned Morris for his perceived anti-Zionist bias will now recognize that this "revisionist" history is in reality a sophisticated defense of the Jewish state.

Morris' powerful history,is brutally honest about both the good actions and grievous immoral actions of Israelis and Palestinians. The history is never dry like many histories. On the contrary, the pacing flows and is suspenseful. fast moving. Highly recommended.