7 History Books That Help Explain The Israel-Hamas War
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The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas is rooted in decades of mistrust and animosity between Jews and Muslims.
Judaism and Islam represent two of the world’s three monotheistic faith traditions. The fight for the Holy Lands, held sacred by both religions alongside those who are Christians, has sometimes been difficult to understand amid all the political debates.
READ: Jews Recall Horror Of Hamas Attacks
Instead, this is a fight very much rooted in faith — not just politics and real estate — that is often lost in news coverage in print, on the internet and on television. Over the weekend, the war entered a new phase when Israeli Defense Forces began a ground war into Gaza.
For a better understanding of this ongoing war, which is now entering its fourth week, here are seven books about Israel and the region that you should read:
‘1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War’ (2009)
Written by historian Benny Morris, this book on the decades-old Arab-Israeli conflict is widely considered both objective and groundbreaking. The book not only delves into the military engagements through the years, but also focuses on its complicated political dimensions. In doing so, Morris probes the motives and aims of both sides using both first- and second-hand accounts.
In fact, Morris doesn’t shy away from focusing on the jihadi nature of the Arab-led assault on the Jewish community for most of modern-day Israel. The book notes that until the 1960s, some 1 million Jews lived in Iran and other Arab countries. These days, it is estimated that only 15,000 remain after the majority of the Jewish population in those Muslim lands were forced to flee to Israel. This modern-day exodus is often overlooked, even forgotten, when continued aggression toward Israel is debated.
‘The Punishment of Gaza’ (2010)
Those who favor the Palestinian cause in this ongoing conflict will find this book by Israeli journalist Gideon Levy a must-read. In reality, it’s an important account of the Jewish state’s 2009 invasion of Gaza, a possible prelude to the ground war we may see in the coming days and weeks.
Levy’s tome delves into the development of Israeli policies over the years and comes up with a thesis that the country had “abandoned the pretense of diplomacy in favor of raw military power, the ultimate aim of which is to deny Palestinians any chance of forming their own independent state.” The brutal attacks of the past few weeks may lead to history repeating itself.
‘Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Unthinkable Choices’ (2010)
Mosab Hassan Yousef has had an inside view of the terror group Hamas since he was a child. The oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of the group, the young Mosab assisted his father for years.
The book recounts how everything changed when Mosab decided to turn away from terrorism. Yousef reveals the inner workings of one of the world’s most dangerous terrorist organizations and the separation from family and homeland he endured after making that fateful decision. The book asserts that the Christian belief of “love your enemies” may be the only path to peace in the region.
‘The Jews of Islam’ (2014)
This book, first published in 1987, probes the attitudes of Muslims toward Jews, especially those who live in predominantly Muslim societies. Combining both authority and some wit, scholar Bernard Lewis takes aim at two competing stereotypes: The Islamophobic picture of the fanatical Muslim warrior and the overly romanticized depiction of Muslim societies as interfaith utopias.
The updated version of the book also features an introduction by American historian Mark R. Cohen. For those wishing to digest a concise overview of the long period of Jewish-Muslim relations, this book is essential reading.
‘Whose Holy Land?: The Roots of the Conflict Between Jews and Arabs’ (2021)
This is yet another book that attempts to explain the historical roots of the conflict in both a comprehensive and easy-to-understand way. The question of which of these two faith traditions controls the Holy Land remains very relevant.
This book attempts to shake up “old myths and prejudices” and “presents an overall historical as well as political analysis of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim structures, actors and actions from the very beginning to this very day, as well as a topical analysis.”
‘Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth’ (2022)
Israel, as the book notes, is a “small strip of arid land … 5,700 miles away but remains a hot-button issue and a thorny topic of debate.” Israeli-American writer Noa Tishby tries to explain why with lots of passion and even some humor.
Loaded with a mix of history and personal stories, the book is written in the first person and goes back to biblical times through the creation of Israel in 1948 to the ongoing fights that divide the Jewish state to this day. If scholarly books aren’t your thing but you want to understand Israel, then this book is for you.
‘Palestine 1936: The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict’ (2023)
The year was 1936 and the Holy Land erupted in a rebellion that targeted both the local Jewish community and the British Mandate. In fact, as this book notes, the Great Arab Revolt “would last three years, cost thousands of lives — Jewish, British and Arab — and cast the trajectory for the Middle East conflict ever since.”
This new book examines those years, a time when “Palestinian identity coalesced, uniting rival families, city and country, rich and poor in a single struggle for independence.” To Jews, this insurgency would leave a very different legacy. It was the start of when those who believed in Zionism abandoned any illusion over the possibility of any Arab acquiescence towards them and what would result in the Jewish state.
Eight decades later, this revolt has deep roots to the past and a very real connection to the events of the past month.
Clemente Lisi is the executive editor at Religion Unplugged. He is the author of “The FIFA World Cup: A History of the Planet’s Biggest Sporting Event” and previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and a longtime reporter at The New York Post. Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.