Seeking Mandela: Peacemaking Between Israelis and Palestinians

by Adam Heribert and Heribert Adam

Book Overview

The ongoing violence, despair and paralysis in Israel/Palestine resembles a similar gloomy mood in South Africa during the late 1980s. Analogies with the South African case are increasingly applied to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592133967
• ISBN13: 9781592133963
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Temple University Press
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Objective, clear-eyed and imaginative

I love this book - it is so perceptive, carefully argued, and well written. I have been working on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict for several years and I have learned that most writers on the subject are emotionally involved one way or other. They see things through a tinted lense and this doesn't just color what they see, it changes what they see completely. Suddenly, one is greater than ten, and black is white. The authors, Adam and Moodley, are outsiders with no axe to grind and so are refreshingly objective and honest. They see the situation with clarity. What they say is most helpful. They explain why we cannot derive too much hope from the South African experience in which the oppressed native people whose land had been taken by powerful invaders ultimately prevailed. When you really dig in, as they do, you see that the situation is different in nearly every important specific. This is valuable as we don't need peacemaking proposals for Israel/Palestine that amount to wishful thinking based on a superficial understanding of the South African success. I agree with their conclusion that a unitary binational state offers the best chance for long-term stability, is fairest, and in some ways is the least disruptive solution as the settlers could remain where they are and there would be no more talk of expelling the Israeli Arabs who are outbreeding the Jews. The unitary binational state is the goal... but how to achieve it, this is the problem. I have to disagree with their conclusion that the way to achieve the unitary binational state is to go for a two-state solution now, and this will be a stepping stone to the unitary state. I think an independent Palestinian state is certain to fail - Israel for its own security reasons will make sure that such a state, filled with people who hate Israel, is impotent, i.e., a failure. Why then would the Israelis relent and welcome union with a failed state and people even more resentful of what the Israelis have done to them? Two-states is not an "interim solution" but a dead-end. I see the challenge as figuring out how to induce the Jews to enter into a genuine unitary binational state. I think the path to peace involves understanding the Israeli psyche, their group narcissism, and figuring out how to address it. As Adam and Woodley say, "A binational state will not arise without minimal mutual trust in the possibility of peaceful coexistence and mutual recognition of the two people." So true. Such a challenge. I wish the path to peace was obvious but it is not. One aspect that is not addressed in this book is that there never will be a Palestinian Mandela as the Israelis will not permit one - they would assassinate or deport him. In fact, there was one: Mubarak Awad. He barnstormed all over the West Bank and Gaza beginning in 1984 and was instrumental in getting a non-violent campaign going in 1987, the First Intifada. But the Israelis treated him as an arch-terrorist and he

Searching for Peace

Adam and Moodley's book "Seeking Mandela" deals with the current situation in the Middle east and tries to see what can be learnt from the South African case that could be useful in understanding the conflict in the Middle East. The book gives a very thorough picture of the conflict both historically and up to date. For anyone who is interested to understand the situation and the different views that exist in the region this book a very good resource. Although critical of the Israeli Occupation and of the Israeli and Palestinian leadership, the authors show a strong compassion for both people. A genuine attempt to use the south african experience not as a way to attack Israel but in a search for possible answers towards a peaceful solution. Being an Israeli, terribley concerned about the deterioration in our area, and longing for peace and a just solution for all people in the region, I found this book very supportive and interesting.