Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel, and the Palestinians (South End Press Classics Series) Book

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by: Noam Chomsky, Edward W. Said

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Customer Reviews
Average Rating: Rating: - he could have done better I am fascinated by the Middle East conflict. However, it is very hard to get reliable information about what is happening out there. Israelis say one thing. Palestinians say the opposite. Whom do you believe? To be honest, reporters such as Thomas Friedman and David Shipler, both Pulitzer prize winners, appear much more reliable than Chomsky. I recommend their books on the subject as opposed to this book. But, first, what is good about the book? Chomsky is very good at exposing hypocrisy on the part of Israel and the United States with regard to Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I am also certain that many examples of Israeli human rights violations that Chomsky cites are true. Plus, I share Chomsky's distaste for those US supporters of Israel who always support Israel's policies no matter what. In general, this book is a very good representation of the views of the extreme left, and so ,in this sense, it is useful to those studying the subject. However, to be honest, I don't really believe Chomsky. I don't really believe him because he undermines his credibility again and again. First, Chomsky implies that the war of 1967 was simply aggression on the part of Israel, something that every major historian would disagree with. How does he support this point? He proceeds to very selectively qoute a few major Israeli generals who suggest that Israel started the war. first of all, the quotes are taken out of context. Second, for some reason, Chomsky never even bothers to mention that Egypt's Nasser explicitly stated at the time that he and other Arab countries opposed co-existence with Israel and desired its destruction ( this is a matter of record). Neither does Chomsky mention massive military mobilization of Egyptian armies on the Israeli border at that time. Why would Chomsky not even address these issues? There are many other instances where Chomsky's explanations are, at best, problematic. For instance, he basically blames Israeli unwillingness to create a Palestinian state on racism and dismisses all security concerns as irrelevant. But why? Sure, Anti-Arab prejudice may be involved here but there are also some legitimate security issues involved. After all, Israel is surrounded by hostile states. Given its small size and past Arab aggression , why would Israel want another state next to its capital? Chomsky is right in a sense that security concerns do not justify gross human rights violations. However, to explain Israel's unwillingness to allow an independent Palestinian state purely in terms of racism and selfishness and to downplay the danger posed by the Arab states who could have probably used the Palestinian state as grounds for an invasion is unfair and misleading. Chomsky also suggests at one point that the Jewish homeland should have been created inside the US. That might have been nice but it could've never worked politically. The US would have never agreed to establish another nation inside its borders. This is the kind of argument one might expect from Hamas, not a professor from MIT. Chomsky also states that the Israelis intentionally destroyed USS Liberty. While certainly a case could be made for this position, there is plenty of evidence (check out ...) suggesting that is not what happened. The fact that Chomsky confidently accuses Israel of this with no definite proof and without even examining all the evidence that does not support his position is troubling. Sometimes Chomsky's distortions are minor but nevertheless annoying. For example, to persuade the readers that Israel's legal system is biased, Chomsky mentions the case where Israeli soldiers buried a few Palestinians alive and got only a short jail sentence. He has a point but would it hurt to at least mention that the Palestinians were rescued? Chomsky does not. Moreover, some of the sources in this book are just bad. At one point, the author states that Israel blew up some Lebanese fishing boats. His source: Pictures in a Lebanese newspaper. Since when is state-controlled censored Arab press a reliable source of information? All these things seriously undermine the author's credibility. If you want more intelligent criticism of Israeli policies, I would once again recommend the authors I mentioned earlier. To summarize, read this book but take everything with a grain of salt... Rating: - American especially should read this book If you are comfortable with American foreign policy in the Middle East, this book offers a great opportunity to test your comfort. For some the most difficult part about reading something like this will be clearing their head of decades of US-Israeli bias in America's press and popular culture. Remind yourself that it really is ok to consider opposing views and then see for yourself if you still like the way the United States coddles and manipulates Israel's violent self-interest for its own gains. You will find excellent resources for further study and consideration, including updated discussion covering recent developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Sources are plentiful. Regardless of where you ultimately land on this debate, the book is well-documented and useful. Rating: - Israel's terror tactics against Palestinians and Lebanon This is one of the most disturbing and convincing indictments of Israel's aggressive policies and terror tactics (supported by the US Government) not only against its captive overpowered palestinian victims in the occupied teritories and Lebanon but also against its peaceful and once prosperous neighbour to the north. Thoroughly documented with evidence and facts particularly about Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon which caused the loss of more than 20000 people mostly civilians. Most of Chomsky's sources are decent israeli and american government, military and media representatives. Noam Chomsky is a noble fair minded jewish/american academic, in the best tradition of the jewish people, who has the courage to say the historical truth as it is, contrary to its constant travesty witnessed on a daily basis in the western mainstream media most of which is now owned or controlled by the pro-israeli lobby who will go to any length to distort history and facts hollywood style in favor of Israel's version of events, i.e transforming the victim into the aggressor and vice versa! A must reading for anyone wanting the true story of what has been happening in the Holy Lands.

Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel, and the Palestinians (South End Press Classics Series) Book

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