About book A Durable Peace: Israel And Its Place Among The Nations (2000)
This honest , well balanced and comprehensive account of the circumstances in which Israel finds itself is essential for anyone interested in the truth about the Middle East .One by one Benjamin Neyanyahu strips away the lies that have come to characterise the unjust and hostile views in the world today about Israel and the Palestinians.Taking us the the history of the country we learn how the link of the Jewish people to the Promised Land has remained strong throughout history, how there have always been Jews living in Israel and that in period between the destruction of the Temple by the Romans and the creation of the modern Zionist movement there was always a significant Jewish presenceHe explains how Britain and the world agreed to a Jewish homeland in the whole of Palestine which consisted of what is today Jordan , the West Bank (Judeo and Samaria) and the rest of Israel and 80% was cut off and awarded to the Arabs in 1922 creating the Hashemite Kingdom Jordan hence already giving the Palestinians their state?Why should Israel which only consists of 20% of mandatory Palestine be further cut in half to create a second Palestinian state and a 22nd Arab nationIt is impossible to cover all the worthwhile points illustrated in this book but we also learn how there never was a Palestinian nation and the name Palestinian was only adopted in recent decades as distinct identity among ArabsHe points out the double standards prevalent in the world today,a world which so strongly condemns the only democracy in the middle East for surviving while turning a blind eye to the horrific human rights abuses in the Arab world (and elsewhere):'This is the root of the infamous , twisted standard by which the Arabs remain completely blameless for expelling hundreds of thousands of people -as Saudi Arabia did to its Yemenis in 1990 and Kuwait did to its Palestinians in 1991- while Israel is excoriated for deporting a cadre of terrorists or by which Israel is condemned for maintaining the presence of a few hundred soldiers in a six mile sliver of Lebanon while Syria annexes almost the entire rest of the same country ;or by which Saudi Arabia and Jordanian apartheid laws forbidding Jewish residence go unnoticed ; while Israel , whose Arab citizens are freer than those of Arab states , is accused of racism for quelling riots'He explains how anti-Israel sentiments are a result of a wider hatred of the West and a ll it stands for like democracy , freedom and Judaeo-Christian values.While one is left with frustration at the gross injustice of the hate campaign -stronger today than ever- against Israel - he also leaves the reader with hope as he explains how Israel CAN prevail and how REAL peace can be achieved.His knowledge and straightforward presentation of the truth is a pleasure to read
A fully engrossing, and convincing book by Benjamin Netanyahu that explains how Israel can get A Durable Peace. We travel the road towards it from the birth of Zionism onwards, with detailed flashbacks and maps to Antiquity. PM Netanyahu writes eloquently, honestly, precise, higly detailed, without bitterness and, ultimately, with hope and friendship for all peoples in the region but also sharing realistic and chilling analyses of terrorism and anti-Semitism and explaining the need for us all for a strong Israel. Abundant footnotes, documents and maps. Be prepared, in addition, for a real page-turner that makes you understand Israel better, or truly, for the first time. Still up to date. A striking difference with more "leftist" authors on the subject is that they write in more broad, sweeping statements while leapfrogging the nitty-gritty facts and paint a subjective picture. Mr. Netanyahu shows "warts and all". Highly Recommended.
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its funny; there are tons of people in Israel and abroad who are constantly trying to understand what Netanyahu's thinking. In response to those people, I urge them to read his book. In it, he outlines the major themes that make him tick.This book is written with an intense passion that is easily discernible from every page. The most important thing I took away from the book is how much bibi hates (or distrusts - whatever word you want to use) the British and other "arabists". He is completely defined and consumed by the time period of 1919-1947. Everything after (all of Israel's existence) is just an afterthought.
—Dan
A masterpiece by a great leader. He says what he should say in this book. It's not biased, but simply describes history in an Israeli's perspective. Everything he tells in it is true and if this is what some people call a "racist". Then it is not because of this book, it's because of their own prejudice and know-it-all attitude. In this book Netanyahu does not use any extremist or racist terms or orientations and quotes every piece of story and evidence with clear and telling references. Better say that it's not just from the point of view of an Israeli, but from a civilised citizen who is struggling to exist and to fight against terrorism. It should strike a chord to many people who want terrorism eliminated and peace.This book should be strongly recommended to all Westerners who have no idea or have biased opinion towards the Jews and Israel and of course, to Bibi Netanyahu.
—Frédrik Chang
A fantastic read. I started "A Durable Peace" awhile ago and just finished it recently. Got a bit side-tracked but I'm glad I came back to it. Mr. Netanyahu writes an eloquent, cogent apologetic for the legitimacy of the state of Israel and lays out a proposal of how peace between Israel and the Palestinians can be secured and nurtured. Part history lesson, part op-ed, part strategic briefing, "A Durable Peace" was an educational read for me. I thought that I had a pretty firm grasp on the history of the region, but I learned a lot from this book. His statements are footnoted exhaustively and he provides some jaw-dropping references, most memorably is the letter from Ribbentrop (Foreign Minister of Nazi Germany) written to the Grand Mufti of Jersusalem, indicating the Nazi regime's pledged support to help the "Arab nation" extinguish the Jewish presence in the region of Israel/Palestine. This Grand Mufti would go on to spawn the PLO and countless other terror organizations. Netanyahu is as talented of a writer as he is a spokesman. I learned a ton from this book and enjoyed it very much. Thanks for taking the time to read my review.
—Luke
