Israel Reclaiming The Narrative

Why is this book different from all other books about Israel? All other books tend to defend Israel. ISRAEL RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE goes on the attack. Why should my country apologize for fighting for its right to exist? ISRAEL RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE prosecutes Israel's enemies and defamers by exposing their hypocrisy and lies. From boycotters to replacement theologists, the media, leading politicians, a misguided public and, centrally, the Palestinians, are all are subject to scrutiny and found guilty of slander, violence, and abuse of the Jewish nation. The author takes you on a personal journey that allows you to feel the forces and emotions that affect the average Israeli. ISRAEL RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE calls famous witnesses, past and present, to illustrate the damage that Israel's enemies are inflicting not only on Israel but also on the core values of democratic societies.

Why does Hamas refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the state of Israel? What makes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so intractable? Reflecting both Israeli and Palestinian points of view, this volume addresses the two powerful, bitterly contested, competing historical narratives that underpin the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In his new book, The Victory of Zionism, Emmanuel Navon challenges the popular belief that the future of Zionism depends on the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, powerfully defending the idea of a Jewish nation-state from its assaulters both at home and abroad. In direct opposition to Peter Beinart's The Crisis of Zionism, Navon argues that Israeli democracy is not threatened by the status-quo with the Palestinians but by judicial activism. He reveals how, over the years, the separation of powers in Israel was replaced by a hierarchy of powers dominated by the Judiciary; exposes the European Union's interference in Israeli politics via government-funded NGOs; shows the consequences of the United States' blundering foreign policy; and explains the complexities of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Navon argues that the corrupt nature of the PLO, the rise of Islamic fanaticism, and the failure of Arab states to promote democracy make for a conflict that is essentially unsolvable. He reminds readers that Israel, a democratic and technological powerhouse in the midst of the most volatile region in the world, has a key role to play on the international stage. The Victory of Zionism is a must read for leaders, opinion-makers, and citizens who care about the future of Israel and of the Middle East.

From Two Stories to One . . . Many historians have chronicled the tragic and persistent struggle between the peoples of Palestine and Israel, revealing the separate national stories generated and held close by both sides. But this book tells the story of Israel and Palestine from a unique perspective. Over two decades ago, Jack Berriault, founder of The Israel Palestine Project, asked the question, "What would be possible if Palestinians and Israelis embraced a single, common narrative in which both peoples were equally represented, understood and honored?" The journey of exploration and discovery that followed produced the book you now hold in your hands. Jack Berriault (1930-2016), Principal author and editor of Israel and Palestine: A Common Historical Narrative, was a visionary in the field of transformational theory and practice, and a life-long champion of a world at peace that works for all, with no one left behind. More information on Jack, and on his collaborators, Rick Phillips and Nancy Black, is available at https: //www.israelpalestineproject.org. "Essential reading for Palestinians and Israelis alike, and for anyone encountering this conflict for the first time.... A well-crafted story, carefully balanced and simply told!" - Moshe Ma'oz, Professor Emeritus in Middle East History and Islam, Hebrew University. "By taking no side in the struggle between Israelis and Palestinians, . . . [this book] takes both sides, which is the side of Humanity!" - Richard Forer, author of Wake Up and Reclaim Your Humanity - Essays on the Tragedy of Israel-Palestine.

In recent decades, Israel has come under sustained diplomatic pressure from the West. According to the press and the policy establishment, she acts aggressively and with disregard for civilian lives in pursuit of an unnecessary and illegal occupation of Palestinian territory. Others view the country as an embarrassing outpost of colonialism, racism and apartheid whose actions—and those of the “pro–Israel lobby”—have provoked a fiery Islamist backlash. This book refutes these misrepresentations, showing that Israel’s actions are well within the norms of international law and morality, and arguing that the country—far from being a deviant state—is a bastion of Western values. The author offers a nuanced narrative, outlining the legal, moral and historical justice behind Jewish statehood and discussing the reasons behind the failed peace process in recent years.

The first all-encompassing book on Israel’s foreign policy and the diplomatic history of the Jewish people, The Star and the Scepter retraces and explains the interactions of Jews with other nations from the ancient kingdoms of Israel to modernity. Starting with the Hebrew Bible, Emmanuel Navon argues that one cannot grasp Israel’s interactions with the world without understanding how Judaism’s founding document has shaped the Jewish psyche. He sheds light on the people of Israel’s foreign policy through the ages: the ancient kingdoms of Israel, Jewish diasporas in Europe from the Middle Ages to the emancipation, the emerging nineteenth-century Zionist movement, and Zionist diplomacy following World War I and surrounding World War II. Navon elucidates Israel’s foreign policy from the birth of the state in 1948 to our days: the dilemmas and choices at the beginning of the Cold War; Israel’s attempts to establish periphery alliances; the Arab-Israeli conflict; Israel’s relations with Europe, the United States, Russia, Asia, Africa, Latin America, the United Nations, and the Jewish diasporas; and how twenty-first-century energy geopolitics is transforming Israel’s foreign relations today. Navon’s analysis is rooted in two central ideas, represented by the Star of David (faith) and the scepter (political power). First, he contends that the interactions of Jews with the world have always been best served by combining faith with pragmatism. Second, Navon shows how the state of Israel owes its diplomatic achievements to national assertiveness and hard power—not only military strength but economic prowess and technological innovation. Demonstrating that diplomacy is a balancing act between ideals and realpolitik, The Star and the Scepter draws aspirational and pragmatic lessons from Israel’s exceptional diplomatic history.

The Real History of Israel and the Palestinians No history is so disputed as the history of Israel. Some see Israel's creation as a dramatic act of justice for the Jewish people. Others insist that it was a crime against Palestine's Arabs. Author David Brog untangles the facts from the myths to reveal the truth about the Arab-Israeli conflict. In Reclaiming Israel's History you'll learn how the Jewish people have maintained a continual presence in the Land of Israel for over 3,000 years—despite centuries of Roman, Byzantine, and Muslim persecution; how the Romans invented the word "Palestine" as a way to sever the connection between the Jewish people and their land (and how subsequent conquerors doubled down on this strategy); how modern Jewish immigration to Palestine did not displace Arabs but instead sparked an Arab population boom; and the largely untold story of how the leader of Palestine's Arabs collaborated with the Nazis to murder Jews in Europe before they could reach their ancestral homeland. You'll also learn why most of Palestine's Arabs never identified themselves as "Palestinians" until after the 1967 War; the extraordinary lengths to which Israel's military goes to protect Palestinian civilians (and the high price Israel's soldiers pay for this morality), and how the Palestinians have on separate occasions rejected Israel's offers of a Palestinian state in virtually all of the West Bank and Gaza. Brog frankly admits to Israel's "sins both large and small," but notes that in any fair-minded analysis these have been far out- weighed by Israel's commitment to Western values, including freedom, democracy, and human rights. Honest, provocative, and timely, especially given rising anti-Semitism and the aggressive delegitimization of Israel, David Brog's Reclaiming Israel's History is the book for every reader who wants to understand what is really happening in the Middle East.