Book List

"Abu-Nimer and Ausburger's Peacebuilding by, between, and beyond Muslims and Evangelical Christians shows us how through forgiveness and coexistence we can create a new humanity. Their dialogues surface hidden treasures of both communities. Their essays achieve a new form of knowing so that we see one another in humanizing contexts, allowing us to look together toward a common future. The co-editors and co-authors enable us to perceive harmony and complementarities amid great cultural diversity. People of varied backgrounds are turning to a new set of beliefs. While they may not share the same form, they do share the essential premise that the world and its people are one community. This sense of unity which includes diverse human societies is the central concept around which this book is organized. It is indispensible for those of us in peace studies and those who work toward a culture of peace."—Abdul Aziz Said, American University

This timely work addresses sensitive issues and relations between Muslims and Christians around the world. The book uniquely captures the opportunity for Christians and Muslims to come together and discuss pertinent issues such as pluralism, governance, preaching, Christian missionary efforts, and general misperceptions of Muslim and Christian communities. Joint authorship and discussion within the book is used to offer dialogue and responses between different contributors. This dialogue reveals that Christians and Muslims hold many things in common while having meaningful differences. It also shows the value of honestly sharing convictions while respecting and hearing the beliefs of another.

On state for two peoples: an audacious approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that is more urgent than ever. It is by now a commonplace that the only way to end the Israeli-Palestinian violence is to divide the territory in two. All efforts at resolving the conflict have come down to haggling over who gets what.  Clear-eyed, sharp reasoned, and commpassionate, One Country proposes a radical alternative: to revive the neglected idea of one state shared by two peoples. Ali Abunimah shows how the two are by now so intertwined-- geographically and economically -- that separation cannot lead to the security Israelis need or the rights Palestinians must have. Taking on the taboos that stand in the way of a binational solution, Abunimah demonstrates that sharing the territory can only bring benefits for all.

More than an ordinary tourist guidebook, this book provides an in-depth discovery of the entire range of Palestinian culture: historical, archaeological, religious, and architectural, as well as the daily realities of Israeli occupation. It describes places rooted in Palestinian memory, sites which bear witness to a history and identify created from contact with civilisations of the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Arab peninsula, but also the contemporary tragedies and struggle of the Palestinian people for recognition of their rights.

This book contains the papers of the Third International Conference of Sabeel (the Palestinian LiberationTheology Centre) held at Bethlehem University, February 1998.

An analysis of the conflict over land between Palestine and Israel by a Palestinian Christian Arab who is also a citizen of Israel. From the text: "The background is clear. . . . [Jerusalem] has been conquered and re-conquered more than 37 times. The latest conquest in 1967 was by the Israeli army. After the war Israel 'took in' not only the 5 square kilometers of Arab East Jerusalem--but also 65 square kilometers of surrounding open country and villages, most of which never had any municipal link to Jerusalem. Overnight they became part of Israel's 'eternal and indivisible capital.' The history of Jerusalem has been written with blood." The first part of this sequel to Justice and Only Justice focuses on events since the Intifada of 1987, including the violence that has come from Israel's aggression and from the use of suicide bombers by Palestinians. The second part of the book draws on scripture, lifting up biblical figures such as Samson, Jonah, Daniel, and Jesus as it examines issues of ownership of the land. In the final section, Ateek presents a strategy to achieve peace and justice nonviolently that will promote justice for the Palestinians and security for both Israel and Palestine. Also available from Friends of Sabeel.

Father Naim Ateek was born in a Galilean village and dispossessed as a child in 1948. An Anglican priest, Father Ateek has devoted himself to working for reconciliation and nonviolent struggle through following the example and teachings of Jesus Christ. This book is the recounting of his own story and an articulation Palestinian Liberation Theology. Deeply moving.  Also available from Friends of Sabeel.

This book contains the papers of the 5th International Conference of Sabeel held at Notre Dame of Jerusalem in April 2004.

In Fatal Embrace, Braverman provocatively argues that Jewish exclusivism is being enacted in the colonial, expansionist nature of the State of Israel. He also contends that the attempts by Christians to atone for anti-Semitism have resulted in the suppression of honest interfaith dialogue on the issue, blocking progress toward a just peace. This book is a call to action directed at Christians and other Americans.

From the book flap: [Jimmy] Carter describes the history of previous peace efforts and why they fell short. He argues persuasively that the road to a peace agreement is now open and that it has broad international and regional support. Most of all, since there will be no progress without courageous and sustained U.S. leadership, he says the time for progress is now. President Barack Obama is committed to a personal effort to exert that leadership, starting early in his administration. This is President Carter’s call for action, and he lays out a practical and doable path to peace.

Father Elias Chacour is a Catholic priest and Archbishop of the Melkite Church in Israel. Born in a village in the Galilee, he and his family were expelled in 1948 as part of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by Zionist forces. Father Chacour has stayed in Israel, devoting himself to peace through the education of Palestinian children and working for reconciliation between Palestinians and Jews. This is the memoir of an extraordinary man.

‘Jonathan Cook’s timely and important book on the Palestinians in Israel is by far the most penetrating and comprehensive on the subject to date ... [He] builds, through exhaustive reference to the Hebrew press, a convincing picture of ethnocratic Zionism constantly preoccupied with a central dilemma: how to rid the land of its indigenous people. This work should be required reading.’
Nur Masalha, Director of Holy Land Studies, St Mary’s College, University of Surrey, and author of The Politics of Denial (2003)

‘An original and powerful book.’
Ilan Pappe, Senior Lecturer in Political Science at Haifa University, and author of A Modern History of Palestine (2004)

‘Very impressive … Some of his findings will astound even the knowledgeable reader.’
Salim Tamari, Director of the Institute of Jerusalem Studies

“This is an impressive and timely book written by one of the most knowledgeable writers on the Palestine-Israel conflict. Its insight into the devastating impact of Zionist settler colonialism and its account of the current reality on the ground are unique. A must read for those seeking peace and justice in the Middle East.”
Nur Masalha, Director of the Holy Land Research Project, St Mary’s University College (UK), and author of The Bible and Zionism (2007)

“No one is a keener observer of Zionism’s true goals, from its bald usurpation of land and resources to its bad faith about seeking real peace. The book provides an unusual depth of evidence and sharp analysis, and a devastating indictment of Zionism. It is a penetrating piece of scholarship and a gem of easy readability.”
Kathleen Christison, former CIA analyst and author of Perceptions of Palestine (1999)

“One of the most cogent understandings of the modern Middle East I have read. It is superb, because the author himself is a unique witness who blows away the media debris and presents both a j’accuse of those who would destroy the lives of whole societies in their pursuit of power and myth, and a warning to the rest of us to speak up and act.”
John Pilger, author of Freedom Next Time (2006) and The New Rulers of the World (2003)

“A compelling account of the recent wars for Middle East oil, untangling a complex web of interests shared by the neocons, Israel and the Bush White House. Cook’s timely book raises disturbing questions about where Israel and the US hope to push the region next.”
David Hirst, author of The Gun and the Olive Branch (2003)

“Undeniably enriches and elevates the debate.”
Afif Safieh, Palestinian Ambassador in Washington

This book brings personal and pictorial perspectives to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. Former CIA political analysts Kathleen and Bill Christison give a comprehensive description of the occupation and the ways in which Israel dominates the Palestinians: Israeli settlements, the Separation Wall, roads restricted to cars with Israeli license plates, home demolitions on a massive scale, imprisonment, mass assassinations and wanton sniper and artillery fire. With more than 50 photographs vividly demonstrating the impact of the occupation on the Palestinian people, the authors argue that Israel's long-term intention is to so fragment the occupied territories that any sustainable presence in the land by Palestinians as a nation will be negated.

Marc Ellis is a Jewish scholar, historian and theologian. This is a towering, invaluable, searing discussion of Jewish history, theology and thought in the light of the current justice issues in Israel and Palestine. Ellis takes on what he terms our “Liturgy of Destruction” and the consequences of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust in his compassionate plea for mourning and healing. An important voice.

The corruption that plagues American politics is traced to an alliance with elites and extremists loyal to the Land of Israel. Unable to rid politics of campaign finance corruption, the U.S. finds its security imperiled by those skilled at deceiving America into waging wars for the Zionist state.

An essential and well-written book. An Israeli journalist and historian, Gorenberg recaps Zionist History as the preamble to conditions that set up the Occupation of the Palestinian territories post-1967. He then tells the whole tragic story of fanaticism, political cowardice, and failed opportunities. A unique and courageous window into Israeli society and politics.

Shalom/Salaam/Peace: A Liberation Theology of Hope is about two peoples and three religions struggling for their very survival. The author examines the realities of life in contemporary Israel/Palestine, with its politics, wars, security wall, settlements and ongoing struggles, and weaves together the complex issues of the area, such as the ownership of land, water rights, human rights and religious. Also available from Friends of Sabeel-North America.

 

A rare glimpse into the dire health situation of Palestinians living in Israel, Hatim Kanaaneh's memoir - "A Doctor in Galilee: The Life and Struggle of a Palestinian in Israel" - reveals the politics of health care and community development affecting the Arab minority in a Jewish-only state. MENASSAT's Tania Tabar interviewed the author earlier this week to discuss Kanaaneh's work.