David W. Lesch

This is an excellent summary of the Arab-Israeli / Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It's a good place to start if you're not at all familiar with the topic, but it should be read in conjunction with other books that elaborate on specific time periods, like Segev's "One Palestine, Complete" and Oren's "Six Days of War." Also, unlike those two books, this book is, as the title implies, "A History." It's not readable in the way that Segev and Oren are. It's a huge conflict that spans almost a century, condensed into a short book. So, don't pick it up for light reading, but do pick it up to learn something about the Arab-Israeli Conflict, and do pick it up to understand the modern Middle East, because much of today's Middle Eastern and North African politics revolve around Israel, Palestine, and the land they both want.… (mehr)