Theft of a Nation

Rating:
Summary: A thought provoking at well researched book!
Review: "Theft of a Nation" is a book for our time, as we approach the beginning of a new millenium. The focus of this text by a well traveled theologian, William W. Baker, is the Israel - Palestine conflict and the misperceptions and misinterpretations that have come to be accepted as facts surrounding the roots of the turmoil in the Middle East. Baker shows how the holy scriptures have been misused in justifying the terrible crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinians and the complicity by so called "fundamentalist Christians" in giving moral authority to the political entity known as Israel.(p)

Baker outlines a step - by - step solution to the settlement of this conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians in which both peoples must recognize mutual national interests and legitimate security concerns. Although written in 1982, this book is prophetic and serves as a guide to the Oslo Peace Agreement of 1992, which was signed between the leadership of the two peoples. I would highly recommend this book to people interested in seeking objective information about the Israel - Palestine conflict from a Western observer not tied to any special interest groups. It was an eye opener to me and made me question many of the "so called facts" that had been presented to me. The book can serve as a guide to conflict resolution in many troubled regions where religious and ethnic animosity has resulted in needless bloodshed, such as the Balkans, South Asia, Northern Ireland, and southern Africa.

Rating:
Summary: I can't believe W. Baker had the Guts to Tell the truth
Review: "Theft of a Nation" is a book for our time, as we approach the beginning of a new millenium. The focus of this text by a well traveled theologian, William W. Baker, is the Israel - Palestine conflict and the misperceptions and misinterpretations that have come to be accepted as facts surrounding the roots of the turmoil in the Middle East. Baker shows how the holy scriptures have been misused in justifying the terrible crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinians and the complicity by so called "fundamentalist Christians" in giving moral authority to the political entity known as Israel.(p)

Baker outlines a step - by - step solution to the settlement of this conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians in which both peoples must recognize mutual national interests and legitimate security concerns. Although written in 1982, this book is prophetic and serves as a guide to the Oslo Peace Agreement of 1992, which was signed between the leadership of the two peoples. I would highly recommend this book to people interested in seeking objective information about the Israel - Palestine conflict from a Western observer not tied to any special interest groups. It was an eye opener to me and made me question many of the "so called facts" that had been presented to me. The book can serve as a guide to conflict resolution in many troubled regions where religious and ethnic animosity has resulted in needless bloodshed, such as the Balkans, South Asia, Northern Ireland, and southern Africa.

Rating:
Summary: I can't believe W. Baker had the Guts to Tell the truth
Review: In today's world, where speaking the truth (i.e. European Jews moved to an Asian Land, set up a country displaced the inhabitants into refugee camps) makes you a target, W. Baker seems to be one of the few men that will speak the truth.
It's a well written book.... does not whitewash the period between 1902 and 1947 (when magically the Jewish population in Britsh Madate Palestine grew from 6% to 23%.. .still not a majority, but enough , with the appropriate arms, to drive out the simple farmers)

Rating:
Summary: Please Look Elsewhere For Depth, Accuracy & The Full Story..
Review: This is a very contentious subject and those wishing to obtain any accurate/objective study need to be provided with all the facts. This book does not provide them.

The tone of this book reverberates around the Arab claim of occupying Palestine "from time immemorial" and that the Jewish state of Israel is fundamentally "theft" of Palestinian land, taken illegally and by force.

With the greatest respect, there is so much historical inaccuracy here that, in terms of a review, I do not really know where to start, other than to say that the Israeli side of the story receives short measure.

There appears to be scant knowledge of the secular history of "Palestine" itself, with no reference to "Palestine" never having been a sovereign state in recorded history, with it's own indigenous people. Something which is fundamental to the whole issue at the basis of this book.

It is also overlooked that the term "Palestine" only came into fruition following the Roman changing of the Jewish nation's name to "Syria Palestina" around AD135 following the unsuccessful Jewish revolts against Roman rule. (This eventually becoming "anglicised" into Palestine).

It is also omitted that even though the Jews were forcibly expelled into diaspora, a significant Jewish population still remained in "Palestine" until Israel's re-birth in 1948.

The context surrounding the occupation of the Holy Land by the Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Ayyubids, Mamluks, Muslims, Ottomans and the British is also sadly lacking. Where too is the reference to Palestine being little more than a wilderness of nomads, loosely associated groups of provincial subdivisions with frequently changing administrations;- with the vast proportion of Arab immigration from surrounding nations being in parallel to the returning Jewish population, around the turn of 19th/20th century, when the swamps were drained and flourishing communities established.

It is overlooked here that the term "Palestinian" is a recent term, only applied solely to Palestinian Arabs after the rebirth of Israel in 1948. Prior to that, even Israelis were classed as "Palestinians". Further to this the book neglects that in 1950, United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) defined a Palestinian Arab as one who had lived in Palestine for a minimum of two years before 1948.

Why no study too of the Post World War 1 Mandate given by the League Of Nations to the British, to establish the Jewish National Home in ALL of Palestine. Britain soon embarking on a policy of Arab appeasement, which it still pursues to this day, when with one swift stroke of a pen, Britain cut off a further 77 percent of then Palestine and gave it to Abdullah Ibn Hussein, whose family had been ousted from Arabia by the Sa'ud family. Abdullah formed another Arab nation called Transjordan (now Jordan) and became it's King. This on land originally earmarked by the League of Nations for a Jewish state.

In November 1947, the Jews finally ate the crumbs that dropped from the British table. What remained of Palestine at that time was divided by the League of Nations between Arabs and Jews, with the Jews receiving the smaller allotment. The Jewish National Home that was to have originally incorporated all of Palestine now actually constituted less than 11 percent of that land. The UN Resolution to this effect being accepted by the Jews, but refused outright by the entire Arab world which sought the publicly declared genocide of the fledgling Jewish state from it's midst. Why are these fundamental, historical issues sidestepped?

It is difficult to assess what exactly would be acceptable in terms of a review. Perhaps it would be better for those really interested in this subject, who really want answers, to be referred to what I consider far more in-depth, accurate studies on this issue. Eg; "From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict over Palestine" by Joan Peters, "A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East" by David Fromkin & "Empires of the Sand; The Struggle for Mastery in the Middle East, 1789-1923" by Efraim Karsh.