The View from the Fence: The Arab-Israeli Conflict from the Present to Its Roots

In dissecting the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and reflecting on the chances for peace, Lochery (director, Centre for Israeli Studies, U. College London, UK) seeks a balance rarely found in most polemics about the conflict. It is a balance that will no doubt anger supporters of the Israeli government, while simultaneously disappoint many advocates for the Palestinian people. His accounts of the origins of the conflict and its recent political history, the latter of which takes up the bulk of the book explode a welcome number of myths about the conflict. In some of his discussion he tiptoes around issues standing in the way of peace—issues of which he seems to be well aware. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR