Ali - Palestine & Middle East (2003)

This is Jaffer Ali's eye-opening book Palestine and the Middle East - A Chronicle of Passion and Politics (2003) which masterfully presents the Palestinian point of view on the critical global conflicts of our time. As an American of Palestinian descent the author guides the reader through the passion that motivates and inflames the political issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Not being radical, he offers the point of view never seen in American media and elsewhere in the world. As with all conflict there is another side and Ali offers this to us, as well as a more believable reason for the invasion of Iraq. American leadership has an agenda - one that does not set well with the rest of the world and might not set well with the American people if they KNEW what it was. As he concludes, the Palestinian struggle is actually a human one that transcends Palestine. There is no longer a place for Zionism in the 21st Century since as long as there is any state in the Middle East that defines citizenship by racial, ethnic or religious categorization, there will never be a lasting peace. If the popular will were expressed in all of the oil regimes, it is likely that oil and gas would be used as a weapon to deter US military might. At the very least, these resources would be utilized for the development of the region's economy. The oil may benefit a handful of leaders and their extended families, but over 85% of the region lives under the poverty line. Suicide bombings are acts of desperation and mean that a people have been pushed to the brink with no hope for the future. Palestine and the Middle East is a book of hard-hitting essays illuminating one of the most brutal conflicts of our age. It demands a worldwide even application of standards concerning occupation, in particular in Israel. After reading it you will never be able to hear "the news" without hearing the bias. 110 pages. A must read for everyone.