Ten Myths About Israel

The book as a whole provides a thought-provoking and well-argued (albeit one-sided, as would be expected from the work's title) insight into the tenuous historical underpinnings of the State of Israel, most notably the aggressive agenda of Zionism, as opposed to its being simply a land populated by a Jewish international diaspora. I'm now looking for a modern book (not the bible!) that posits the opposite viewpoint before coming to any balanced conclusions as to what might drive the myriad issues involving Israel's recent history.

I consider Pappe to be a good representative of the Palestinian cause from the Israeli perspective. In this book he deals with the issue of Palestine from the perspective of an Israeli, and also from the perspective of dispelling myths that Israelis and Israeli sympathizers have. He called this book, “Ten Myths About Israel.” He brilliantly divides his book into three categories: the past Myths, the present ones, and the future ones.The first category deals with fallacies of the past. In this section, he discusses a number of myths, proving that Palestine was, indeed, a vibrant and very active place, comprised of both rural and urban communities, and with its own records, especially since it was under Ottoman rule. Palestine was also known to have a series of port cities that allowed for trade with Europe and other parts of the world. However, little did those Europeans know they were dealing with no one on the other side.He also discusses one of the most often repeated myths about Israel, which is that the Jewish people in Europe had no land. It stems from another myth, though, that the Jewish migrants from Europe were Jewish in ethnicity at all. They were not. Pappe states, “Arthur Koestler wrote The Thirteenth Tribe (1976), in which where advanced the theory that the Jewish settlers were descended from the Khazars, a Turkish nation of the Caucasus that converted to Judaism in the eighth century and was later forced to move westward.” This is a good summary of who the Jewish immigrants were. They were Europeans who wanted a moral justification for colonization. This brings us to the next point, which is that Zionism is a colonist project, not a religious one, aimed at exploitation of the land and resources of the Palestinians, all the while trying to establish their own government in that midst.He also discusses very important and relevant topics of today, such as whether or not Israel is truly a democracy. Here, he shows how the Israelis manipulate land and naturalization in order to manipulate elections. Further, he discusses the Oslo Accord and whether or not a two-state solution would work (hint: it would never work).All in all, I give the book a 9.5 out of 10, only because he could have combined a couple of chapters for readability.Buy this book and read it.

Excellent book! A must read.

Is Israel a secular country or a religious country? Was its creation and birth legitimate or illegitimate? God inspired or purely political? If Israel identifies itself as a purely political and secular state, then it cannot lay claim to being the recipient of any divine mandate. If Israel claims divine sanction, then she cannot be secular. She must be guided by one principle or the other. If God has truly willed a return of the Jewish People to their ancient homeland then what are we to make of the unjust, and often cruel, treatment of the Palestinian people at the hands of the Jewish settlers ? According to the Bible, Israel as a nation prospered, and was allowed to exist, as long as she maintained a pure unadulterated fidelity to God. If the nation abandoned that mission then it wasn’t long before she was led into captivity.Whether you believe that modern day Israel was willed into being by a higher power, or through Zionistic political dexterity; it is a political fact and reality. At issue in Mr. Pappe’s book is the treatment of the Palestinian people.I gave the book 4 stars out of 5. I would have liked to have given it 5 stars. The reason I did not was because, at the end of his book, in a somewhat supercilious and pontificating way, he takes liberty to disparage and castigate the United States. I feel this was an overreach on Mr. Pappe’s part and somewhat far afield from his original subject matter.

Well written and documented.Nice to have a more rounded view on the issue.

I read everything I can from this author. His writing is responsible, measured, insightful.

This is a well written book. It is short and to the point but thorough. Ilan Pappe is able to refute this myths with clarity and ease. A must read for anyone who wants to know the truth.

Ilan Pappe is one of greatest scholars. This book is a must read for all. It reveals so much misinformation that western media delivers. Very eye opening and easy read.