Israel and Palestine: Competing Histories by Mike Berry and Greg
Philo. London: Pluto Press, 2006. 168 pp. including index.
Paperback, $17.95.
Heidi Basch
Heidi Basch is the online content editor for the PIJ.
Depending on the historical account, the establishment of the State
of Israel is a hero's story or a horror story. Mike Berry and Greg
Philo suggest that the truth lies in the amalgamation of the many
available narratives. However, media coverage, the basis for
discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is often "full of
propaganda and confusion," they say. Calling for healthier public
debate, they offer access to historical documents and experts
presenting divergent views about the controversial and emotional
history of the conflict. They write that they hope to contribute
"to a better-informed public debate about the causes of the
conflict, what solutions are possible and what may be done to
achieve them."
Competing Histories provides a concise yet dense account of the
conceptual development and realization of Israel and the
consequential displacement of the Palestinian people. In the early
1900s, "Palestine became the site for two emerging and competing
nationalisms": the native Muslim and Christian population, and the
"Jewish newcomers determined to create their own homeland," Berry
and Philo say. They recount major and minor Jewish, Arab and
international clashes, wars, negotiations and agreements since the
19th century. The book concludes with Ehud Olmert's replacement of
Ariel Sharon as prime minister and Hamas' electoral victory over
Fateh.
