Israelism

Abstract

The author is an Arab from Jordan who stayed in Israel for a time, learned Hebrew, and became acquainted with the country. As a result, he was able to examine the Middle East conflict and its dynamics from a relatively objective point of view, as demonstrated in his Israelism. The book consists of five chapters, preceded by an acknowledgments section and an introduction, and followed by an epilogue, a bibliography, and an index. Each chapter has an introduction and a conclusion, and ends with notes providing references and clarifications. The first four chapters begin with a quote from one or more prominent personalities (e.g., David Ben-Gurion, Nasser, and Sayyid Qutb). In the “Introduction,” Barari explains what prompted him to write this book and provides background information on the Middle East problem; the opinions and approaches of Arab scholars toward Israel; how the outcome of the Six Day War affected scholarly writing about Israel in, for example, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon; and the obstacles that prevent objective writing about Israel. The “Introduction” ends with an explanation of the book’s aims and structure ...