Israel Arab Reader : A Documentary History of the Middle East Book

This collection of documents may help readers further understand the conflict between Israel and neighboring states; but as a stand alone resource it is a mess. Laqueur does provide (not always) a very bare bones introduction to each document. His introductions are good because he usually describes the author; but for readers not intimate with the material, Laqueur's comments do not go far enough in creating a background for each document.

As a collection of documents, it is...large. It seems incomplete because Laqueur offers so little narrative until his closing remarks. The documents also align most heavily with the Six-Day War. A solid third of the book centers around this conflict. None actually mention what happened. There is even less material about the action of the 1948 and 1956 wars. Readers will see a lot of Arab posturing and then, poof! They lost and the books moves to another document.

Readers will need to decide for themselves if Laqueur displays bias towards one side in the conflict. He does not defend his decision for including some documents and excluding others. The documents that are present do not try to identify middle ground or entertain serious peace proposals. A slight exception are the British Mandate documents where the British appear to have been trying to satisfy everyone, and satisfied none. The authors are mostly on the more radical side of the debate. Even the opinion pieces appear to be heavily skewed one way or the other. The most curious document of all, I believe, is the strange piece written by Bernard Lewis who concludes that the conflict is clearly attributable to the Soviet Union because the Soviets disliked Jews. Lewis' essay was the only document in the collection that actually angered me due to poor logic and lack of evidence.

After slogging through 600 pages of documents I did learn some things. I read some fascinating analogies. Why do the Palestinians suffer for the sins of Germany and Russia? Should the Palestinians be allowed to return to claim their property - if not, what allows Jews in Israel to return to Germany and reclaim property? Would Palestinians object to Jews if Israel was settled in Uganda? The Jewish response to these talking points have validity; but the simplicity of such ideas stand out in an otherwise onerous and repetitive monograph.

The ultimate conclusions Laqueur identifies are that posturing and saber-rattling ("chauvinism") by both sides is the most culpable factor in the conflict. Secondary to that are three clear sub-causes: One, lack of development (educational, social, cultural, technological) in the Arab countries that made them unable to compete against the Jews at seemingly any level; Two, Israel exploiting these advantages to the fullest and not showing any remorse or empathy, especially when they themselves had been victimized in much the same way; and finally, Arab leaders in neighboring states maintaining the Palestinians in squalor for political reasons.

A lot has changed since 1967. There was another war. Most Arab nations recognize Israel. There has been peace for the better part of 40 years. Israel continues to develop much faster than her neighbors. It is unclear if any benefits have passed over the borders. As Laqueur predicted, Jordan was the first Arab state to recognize Israel and make peace. However, the economic advantages that Laqueur had championed do not appear to have materialized. The three sub-causes to the wars remain in place. The chauvinism and saber-rattling has decreased (until President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the rightful capital of Israel). Overall, I cannot recommend this book due to the omission of historical events or anything to connect the various documents.