Ten Myths About Israel

Very well written. I would assume some would say it is written with bias. But this writer is an Israeli historian.

I consider Pappe to be a good representative of the Palestinian cause from the Israeli perspective. In this book he deals with the issue of Palestine from the perspective of an Israeli, and also from the perspective of dispelling myths that Israelis and Israeli sympathizers have. He called this book, “Ten Myths About Israel.” He brilliantly divides his book into three categories: the past Myths, the present ones, and the future ones. The first category deals with fallacies of the past. In this section, he discusses a number of myths, proving that Palestine was, indeed, a vibrant and very active place, comprised of both rural and urban communities, and with its own records, especially since it was under Ottoman rule. Palestine was also known to have a series of port cities that allowed for trade with Europe and other parts of the world. However, little did those Europeans know they were dealing with no one on the other side. He also discusses one of the most often repeated myths about Israel, which is that the Jewish people in Europe had no land. It stems from another myth, though, that the Jewish migrants from Europe were Jewish in ethnicity at all. They were not. Pappe states, “Arthur Koestler wrote The Thirteenth Tribe (1976), in which where advanced the theory that the Jewish settlers were descended from the Khazars, a Turkish nation of the Caucasus that converted to Judaism in the eighth century and was later forced to move westward.” This is a good summary of who the Jewish immigrants were. They were Europeans who wanted a moral justification for colonization. This brings us to the next point, which is that Zionism is a colonist project, not a religious one, aimed at exploitation of the land and resources of the Palestinians, all the while trying to establish their own government in that midst. He also discusses very important and relevant topics of today, such as whether or not Israel is truly a democracy. Here, he shows how the Israelis manipulate land and naturalization in order to manipulate elections. Further, he discusses the Oslo Accord and whether or not a two-state solution would work (hint: it would never work). All in all, I give the book a 9.5 out of 10, only because he could have combined a couple of chapters for readability. Buy this book and read it.

I learnt a lot of things I don't know about the history of Israel. I didn't know that the whole story went so far back. It makes me wonder whether there will ever be a solution to the situation that the Palestinians find themselves in.

Ilan Pappe’s books are always full of brain stimulating ideas; in these complicated and difficult days full of simplistic rhetoric, Pappe’s ideas help to put down the real underlying issues of a situation full of conflicting emotions. The myths are the representation of collective strong emotions which hinder the elaboration of possible solution; without recognizing them as such no real developments towards peace are possible. Ilan Pappe is not always very convincing (1967, Oslo Accord myths) sometimes look more elaborations of opinions than myths, sometimes he seems to insist in find the dark side of things even in the few moments of light which cross that tormented region. In any case a very interesting book.

Well written and documented. Nice to have a more rounded view on the issue.

The book as a whole provides a thought-provoking and well-argued (albeit one-sided, as would be expected from the work's title) insight into the tenuous historical underpinnings of the State of Israel, most notably the aggressive agenda of Zionism, as opposed to its being simply a land populated by a Jewish international diaspora. I'm now looking for a modern book (not the bible!) that posits the opposite viewpoint before coming to any balanced conclusions as to what might drive the myriad issues involving Israel's recent history.

Ilan Pappe is one of greatest scholars. This book is a must read for all. It reveals so much misinformation that western media delivers. Very eye opening and easy read.

Excellent book! A must read.

I am academically well informed regarding the history of Zionism and Palestine but I nonetheless found this book very informative in that it explains clearly how much of the western propaganda in support of Israel is, as the book's title makes clear, myth. It is also structured in an accessible and ordered way that provides the reader with a strong sense of how the appalling events occurring in Gaza and The West Bank today were inevitable. It is recommended reading for everyone who wants to understand not just the recolonalisation of Palestine by Zionist settlers but also help them to recognize that the same process, that is recolonization, in is taking place in many other nations, albeit in often (but not always) more subtle ways, only recently liberated from the colonial rule of the great powers of the nineteenth century.

Ilan Pappe, a gifted historian and writer. Written in clear, easy, and concise language, it is highly recommended for anyone interested in understanding what this phenomenon called the State of Israel is.

short, easy to read, and challenges assumptions most people take for granted. A must-read for everyone.

Ten Myths

It is essential to know the history of the Palestine-Israel conflict and the many different points of view that obscure the truth.