Israel: Politics, Myths and Identity Crises

By Akiva Orr

Book Overview

'Orr's great clarity in forming and forwarding his ideas and ideological critique of nationalism, statehood, socialism and Zionism over four decades makes this book an important and timely contribution to the discussion of fundamental values for the 1990s and their relevance to the Middle East' Meir Vanunu'By virtue of the articles that appear in hth book , it should be said that [Orr] was a pioneer in the cultural renaissance that is shaping the Israeli intellectual landscape, and the herald ... of a moral-political renaissance' News Within'An illuminating and unique anti-Zionist perspective. Certainly not a beginners' book on Israel but a refreshingly honest attempt at creating debate on this tragic conflict' Socialist Review'Orr's writings are highly thought-provoking, and are worth reading for anyone interested in the way politics and ethnicity meet in ethnic conflicts' Outlook (Canada)His topics are also the stuff of which crises are made. Questions of identity go to the hear of ideological debates in and around Israel. Orr's book uses a wide range of anecdotal, historical. literary and social psychological sources, and provides a strong point of view. Middle East Journal (Autumn '95) 49, No 4

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0745307663
• ISBN13: 9780745307664
• Release Date: June 1994
• Publisher: Pluto Press (UK)
• Length: 180 Pages

Customer Reviews

Perfect

The only thing to say about this collection of insightful essays is that it is perfect. Nowhere else can one find such succinct, incisive writing about a topic so deliberately obfuscated as the Middle East. In one essay, Orr writes an exact history of Israel in nine pages. Major news media organisations, such as TIME and NEWSWEEK, would do well to follow. Their pages-long analyses of Israel and the Palestinians lack the focus and commitment to honesty that Orr exudes on every page.Orr's credentials are rock-solid, too: he is a citizen of Israel and a former member of the Israeli Defence Forces, so he knows that nation from the inside. While he believed at first in the righteousness of Israel's cause, as a soldier and member of civilian society he came to see the true, criminal nature of the state. He compares its siege mentality to that of the Nazis, a comparison only a Jew can make.If you haven't time to digest great tomes on Israel and the Middle East, sift through this one-hundred page beauty and emerge a more enlightened man.

A Hidden Treasure

This slim volume is like a slender candle that sheds much light over a topic that seems so confusing. Until you read this book, you may never understand why the Mid-East "Peace Process" was still-born. Orr weaves together short essays that leave an indelible impression on the tangled origins and uncertain future of America's closest ally in the Mid-East, Israel.