How Israel Lost: The Four Questions PDF
Preview How Israel Lost: The Four Questions
RICHARD BEN CRAMER WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE AUTHOR OF WHATir TAKES AND JOE DIMAGGIO: THE HERO'S LIFE HOW ISRAEL LOST THE FOUR QUESTIONS "Solid and irrefutable . . . Cramer's theme is the tragic predicament of the Israelis and Palestinians funny and bitterly sad, shrewd . . . 1^ and down-to-earth. . . . This book is a powerful polemic that deserves to be read." -Amos Elon, TheNew York Review ofBooks ?: Praise forHow Israel Lost "Driven by sympathy and curiosity, [Cramer] suspends moraljudgmentsjust enoughtobringalivetheironies . . . ofhumanlifeunderbrutalconditions. . . . Heisabletodosomethingfewjournalistssucceedat: capturingaZeitgeist. He makes vivid the invisible dust of despair and the gradual corruption of so — — much institutions,emotions,moralsensibility,solidarity thetoxicgasofun- derlyingpessimismthathasseepedintoeverythingduringalmostfortyyearsof occupation." — GadiTaub,ChicagoTribune "How IsraelLost offers some poignantportraits ofthose caught up in the . . . Middle Easttragedyanddeliverssharpargumentsonhowthingsgottowhere theyareandhowtheyc—anmoveforward. . . .Cramerknowshisstuff." Emst-UlrichFranzen,MilwaukeeJournalSentinel "IfeverabookonIsraelandthePalestinianswasagoodread,itsthisintroduc- tiontothehalf-century-longconflict. Cramerisgreatattellingananecdote . . . Whenitcomestoprognosis, Cramershootsstraightfromthehipingivingad- vicetobothsides." — PublishersWeekly "Alively, anecdotal, thought-provoldngandoftenentertainingbookaboutthe faults and arguments on both sides . . . But its the personal stories [Cramer] tellsthatwintheday,by—puttingahumanfaceonanendlessconflict." TheArizonaRepublic "HereinliesthelucidcharmoiHowIsraelLost:Theauthorhasn'tlostsightof theforestforthetrees. . . . Mr Cramersargumentiscogent: Israelishavefor- gottentheirbirthright." — DanielAsaRose,IslewYorkObserver "Cramer'squick, anecdotal,verypersonalstyleputsanentertainingspinonan otherwiseextremelypainfulreality. His forteisincapturingeventsbyshowing howtheyaffectthelive—sofrealpeople." ElenaLappin,TheNewYorkTimesBookReview — "Cramer oneofthemostmemorablenonfictionstylistsahve. . .hasinvented anewwaytocoveroneofthemostdevastatingwarsinhumanhistory. ... Itis anaccountthatisboundtoresultinamixtureoflaughter,tears,angerand,ulti- mately,desperation." — SteveWeinberg,Orlando Sentinel "Cramer—hasarealgiftforbringingto life thepeople caughtupin theendless struggle even, orindeed especially those whose politics are not his own. . . . Thisisawonderfulbook—,courageousandhonest..." Scott McConnell, TheAmerican Conservative "[HowIsraelLost] recapturesthehip,verbalrlMhmofCramer's 1992poHtical epicWhatItTakes." — CaseySeiler,TheTimes Union (Albany, NY) Also by Richard Ben Cramer What It Takes: The Way to the White House Joe DiMaggio: The Hems Life WhatDo You Think ofTed Williams Now? HOW ISRAEL LOST THE FOUR QUESTIONS Richard Ben Cramer SIMON & SCHUSTER PAPERBACKS NewYork London Toronto Sydney ForRuby SIMON&SCHUSTERPAPERBACKS RockefellerCenter 1230AvenueoftheAmericas NewYork, NY10020 Copyright©2004,2005byRichardBenCramer Allrightsreserved,includingtherightofreproduction inwholeorinpartinanyform. FirstSimon&Schusterpaperbackedition2005 Simon&SchusterPaperbacksandcolophonareregisteredtrademarks ofSimon&Schuster, Inc. Forinformationaboutspecialdiscountsforbulkpurchases, pleasecontactSimon&SchusterSpecialSalesat [email protected] DesignedbyJaimePutorti MapbyPaulPugHese ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica 987654321 10 TheLibraryofCongresshascatalogedthehardcovereditionasfollows: Cramer, RichardBen. HowIsraellost/RichardBenCramer, p. cm. — 1. Arab-Israehconflict Moralandethicalaspects. 2. Arab-Israeh — — — — conflict 1993 Peace. 3. PalestinianArabs WestBank Social — — conditions. 4. PalestinianArabs GazaStrip Socialconditions. — — — 5. Israel Socialconditions. 6. Israel Ethnic relations. 7. Nationalcharacteristics, Israeli. I. Title. DS119.76.C73 2004 956.05—dc22 2004045354 ISBN-13:978-0-7432-5028-3 ISBN-10:0-7432-5028-1 ISBN-13:978-0-7432-5029-0(Pbk) ISBN-10:0-7432-5029-X(Pbk) Contents Preface to the paperbackedition vii I. Whydowe care about Israel? 1 II. Whydon'tthe Palestinians have astate? 65 III. What is aJewish state? 139 IV. Whyis there nopeace? 227 Glossary 279 Author Note andAcknowledgments 297 s Preface to the paperback edition /jLllah is most kind, and he sentYassirArafat offto Paris to die. He was succeeded as chairman ofthe PLO andpresident ofthe Palestinian Authority by Mahmoud Abbas, the former prrime minister and a longstanding opponent of suicide bombing. Withindays,Abu Mazen, asAbbasisknown, declaredacessation ofattacks against Israelis. He ordered his securityforces to stop attackers, andhesackedthecommanderswhofailedtodoso. He met with the leaders of the ultra-Islamic groups and secured theirpromise to respecthis cease-fire. Withinweeks. Abbas met withArik Sharon andtogethertheyproclaimedatruce. The Palestinians' vote for Abbas was an affirmation ofhope. The Palestinian people were convinced (as they have always known) that life with the Israelis can be something other, some- thingbetter,thanIdll-and-be-killed.Theclearsupportfromaclear majoritygaveAbbasthe upperhandtoputhistruceintoeffect. There was a mirror image ofhope on the Israeh side, from politiciansandcommon folkwhosupportedArikSharon'splanto VII Preface to the paperback edition pull the Israelis out of Gaza. The support of a clear majority helped Sharon to survive arejectionoftheplanbyhisownparty. As I write, in the Spring of2005, the parties are still a long — way from an accord from the vision that George W. Bush sketched out: two nations living side by side in peace. Sharons plan to withdraw from Gaza is a clear attempt to put that vision into mothballs. The Israelis continue to build theirwall, seizing more and more Palestinian land. Hamas and Islamic Jihad are — still dedicated to the destruction ofIsrael their respect forthe truce is, at best, temporary. The cease-fire has been marred re- — peatedly two suicide bombs shattered calm in Israel, and Is- raeli soldiers have killed several Palestinian kids. But, so far, the — truce endures andsodoes hope. Inthisplace,hopecannotbeignored. Itisprecious,anddou- — — bly fragile like awildflower in Alaska a miracle for the hard- ship it endured to emerge, it is now prey to any harshness that could snuffout its life. Still, it is beautiful, and must be prized whileitishere. X know I won't make any new friends with the assertion that Sharonis scuttlingthepeaceprocess. Its morepopularto regard him, as George Bush does, as agreat Man ofPeace (who means to make real the great vision ofa nation forthe Palestinian peo- ple). Butfacts arejustas stubbornasArikSharon ... so, hereare afewtoconsider: Thewithdrawal from Gazaofafewhundredsettlerfamihes, and thousands of soldiers who had to protect them, has always made sense to the armybrass. Itwas Sharons genius tocombine VIII
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