From Beirut to Jerusalem (Updated with a New Chapter)

Rating:
Summary: Anecdotal account of a decade in the Mid east
Review: I've been reading books on the Middle East since 9/11. I forgot I had this book for a while, and hadn't ever read it. When I came across it recently, I decided to read it, largely because of its tremendous reputation. I largely wasn't disappointed, but it should be noted that this is an anecdotal account, not, for the most part, real history or anything.

Friedman was a reporter in Beirut for UPITV for about 2 years, then returned briefly to New York, where he was hired by the New York Times to return and be the bureau chief. He did that for another 2 years, then was transferred to Jerusalem for another four. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp massacres in Beirut, and another one for his reporting on the intifada in Jerusalem and Israel in general.

Friedman's a reporter, so you get the reportorial style in lengthy form. There is anecdote after anecdote about various aspects of the conflict in the region, or life in the two countries Friedman was in. Friedman is a very good observer, and a perceptive reporter, so he does a good job of picking out the anecdotes that are instructive and recounting them intelligently. It is very instructive about life in both Jerusalem and Beirut. There is one chapter that's mostly reporting, covering the Syrian massacre at Hama in the mid 80's.

There also is some attempt at general history, and it's reasonably well-done if you're in need of it, and willing to go along with the superficialities of summarizing the points of a book by Bernard Lewis or Fouad Ajami in several paragraphs. I myself prefer going to the source and reading the authors themselves (I've read Lewis, only seen Ajami on TV). None of the conclusions he comes to here are revolutionary.

That being said, I think this is a good book on the Mid East, and I recommend it to anyone interested in the region. I gather there's an edition written after the one I bought, which has an extra chapter updating the book through the late nineties.

Rating:
Summary: It's the book to read on the Middle East!
Review: As Friedman always does, he writes in an engagingly personal way that helps the reader understand complex issues. This book is ostensibly about Friedman's time as a foreign correspondent in Beirut and then in Jerusalem in the 1980s, but it's really about the political situation in the Middle East during the time he was there (with helpful, cogent background and history).

I really enjoyed this work very much, as I learned SO MUCH about the Middle East, particularly Lebanon/Beirut, that I did not know. It also reminded me of a book I thought was very powerful about Bosnia called "Love Thy Neighbor: A Story of War" by Peter Maas, who was the stringer for the Washington Post during the war in Bosnia. These books have similar premises: that reporters have more access than the average bear to the politics and tragedies of war and become experts themselves as they learn more and more and witness so many things that don't necessarily make it into their daily stories.

This book is divided into three main sections: Beirut, Jerusalem and Washington. The last section deals with Friedman's prognoses for the future of the region and also with his Lexus and Olive Tree theme, which he developed very thoroughly in a book of that name. I thought the Beirut section was the most provocative, but I learned something on every page.

The latter chapters in the Jerusalem section dealt with the interesting issues of why Israel gets so much Western press coverage and the relationship between Israeli Jews and the rest of the Jewish people in the Diaspora, particularly in the United States. I was not aware, for example, that at the time Friedman wrote this that there were almost no reform or conservative synagogues or congregations in Israel. Citizens were either secular Jews or Orthodox.

[This 570-plus page book has additions since the initial publication in 1989, but the expanded version preceded the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin.]

Friedman says to gain peace now, no one -- not the Israelis, Jordanians, Syrians, Lebanese, Egyptians or Palestinians -- can focus on their rights or past victimization. Now they must look at what their interests dictate to them in the current climate of opportunities. He says he earned his pessimism about the region the hard way by living through and seeing a great deal of tragedy and cruelty in both Lebanon and Israel (he earned his first Pulitzer Prize writing about the Israeli military role in a refugee camp massacre of Muslims in Lebanon), and that the leaders of those nations will have to earn our optimism the hard way, too, by proving they can lead their people toward a real and lasting peace.

I strongly recommend this book. I found it incredibly engaging, readable and both local (personal) and global (political/historical).

Rating:
Summary: Vital to an Understanding of the Region
Review: Thomas Friedman spent the decade of the 1980s in the Middle East (hence the title of the book) as a foreign correspondent for the New York Times. That he was able to survive as a Jew living in Lebanon during the height of the mid-80s kidnapping craze there is remarkable in and of itself. "From Beruit to Jerusalem" is Friedman's account of his time in both capitals, one for which he justifiably won the Pulitzer prize. Despite that somewhat limiting title, Friedman's focus is on the entire region as the key flashpoint in the modern world.

What makes the book so compelling is the way the Friedman uses history to paint the backdrop for his story. He goes beyond a mere reporting of the facts and scratches behind the surface to the underlying reasons for the Middle East's many conflicts. Friedman's reportage on Syrian president Assad's massacre of his own people in the city of Hama, for example, is used to explain how power politics reigns supreme among the unelected rulers of the Arab world, to the continuing detriment of their people. On the flip side, Friedman is openly critical of Israel, particularly for the 1982 invasion of Lebanon and how the country responded to the first Palestinian uprising in the late 1980s. Friedman's even handedness makes his work that much more valuable.

Though his observations are now more than a decade old, there are plenty of lessons here that remain valid today. Though Lebanon has for the most part settled down since then, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is more dangerous than ever, especially in the wake of increased terrorist activity after September 11th.

Overall, a first rate work of journalism and history that is one the most important books released on the Middle East in the past twenty years.

Rating:
Summary: Began my Study
Review: This book was required reading for my high school course on the Middle East in my junior year. This bookk began my study of the Middle East, which I am majoring in. I must warn you, however, this book made me and a few of my friends read every additional book, every column, and every article on the subject that we come across. For those who dont want to be inflicted with this disease, do not buy this book.

Friedman makes the reader turn every page with stories of dinners paused until the Cease-fire begins, the bombing of the US embassy, and the deadly checkpoints on the roads into the mountains. Friedman is an informative journalist and a entrancing story-teller. The book is flawless, and tells the history with an objective viewpoint not common in Americans or Jews.
His other masterpiece, The Lexus and the Olive Tree is another MUST read for anyone wishing to understand the newspaper, have a future in any business, or just begin to quench their knowledge of the post-Berlin Wall world...

Rating:
Summary: Yea though they are walking through the valley...
Review: I have a thirst to learn as much as possible about the Middle East, Islam, and in particular the conundrum of Palestine and Israel. And in a quest to fill this void, I have read approximately 10 books on the subject and to date the most fulfilling book has been Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem."

Although, Friedman's book mainly covers the years 1979-1989 all the issues, heated emotions, details for contempt and vehement disagreement that were alive and well for those times are very much at the forefront of the conflict today. Friedman does an especially adept job at not taking sides but exploring the issues from the Palestinian and the Israeli camps equally

His reporting from Beirut serves as more of a footnote in history, but his observations from Israel go further. They capture the media's fascination with Isreal and explain why each event in the West Bank, Golan Heights, and Gaza Strip are looked at under the microscope in the Western world. Three major religions feel intimately connected with the land and understand the geographical references that are reported in the press.

Freidman's book does the best as a complete reference for Israel and Palestine. He mixes historical understanding, current event reporting, well-worded and logical opinions, mixed with personal stories and vignettes that leave the reader with a more complete understanding than you would get from other books that only cover one or two approaches. It is a shame that in modern day Israel there hasn't been any Martin Luther King Jr's or Gandhi's that has risen among either side. Freidman's book though gives a person a better understanding of why that is and just how difficult a path it will be to arrive at a solution.

Rating:
Summary: a reluctant thumbs-up
Review: I agree with other reviewers that Friedman has no axe to grind; is equitable in his criticism of the both the PLO and Israel (as well as other parties). This is probably the book's greatest strength. If you are expecting a wholehearted defense of Israel you won't find it here.

However I was disappointed with other aspects of the book. Unlike other reviewers, I do not find that Friedman writes well. Phrases like "Such were the cards that history had dealt him" (speaking about Arafat) reminded me of a reasearch paper written for a high-school history class. Friedman also recurs to anecdotes and metaphors that are at worst impertinent and at best disconcerting. He has the cutesy way of carrying the metaphor through; for example at one point he compares Isreali political parties to American advertising (in which distinctions are are energetically asserted between virtually identincal consumer products) and concludes that the Isreali political parties, despite their outward differences, were really serving up the same "puppy chow." Such a rhetorical device is amateurish and annoying. I expected greater depth of analysis and a more penetrating writing style. I learned a few things from the book, but was ultimately disappointed. I'm now going to read Charles Enderlin's _Le rêve brisé_ hoping that this French journalist will provide a deeper analysis.

Rating:
Summary: Good Journalism...
Review: To be direct,I expected much more from Friedman's highly acclaimed odyssey in the Middle East. The problem, in my estimate, is that the book NEVER rises above the level of "informed" journalism. If you want scholarship and depth read Bernard Lewis. An historical exploration like James McPherson's BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM...concerning our own Civil War...is what I think readers anticipate when they take the journey from BEIRUT to JERUSALEM. It's not there. The portraits of Arafat and Sharon are interesting but impressed as superficial, of TIME magazine ilk. The "walk" through the bloody maze of Lebanon was high point of the book to me. Here was an illuminating gaze into the mess that's called THE ARAB Street with its Medieval tribalism and warlord politics.(A sign; a few goons with guns; duly constitutes the road block for extortion of bandit tribute in the name of the Thug-ocracy-of-the-day essayed). American politicians must not make the mistake they are dealing with POLITIES as we "understand" them, nor expect Israel to suffer(more)because of our leaders' misunderstandings. Mr. Friedman's evident ambivalence/confusion makes this point clearer than perhaps he realized( However,I haven't read the new edition).Again: to me the book was disappointing.If you want insightful grasp of what's going-on in the Middle East, read THE CLASH of CIVILIZATIONS: Remaking of the World Order, by Huntington. Freidman's book is introductory primer; good popular journalism at best...with all the limits this kind of writing implies and imposes on itself.(3 and 1/2 stars)

Rating:
Summary: Foundations of the present conflict
Review: This book recounts the author's tour of duty as a journalist in Beirut and Jerusalem. Born a Jew in Minnesota, Freidler writes from an unbiased point-of-view. He balances respect and sympathy for the Palestinians with criticism of Israeli policy. The book is divided into three main parts: Beirut, Jerusalem, and Washington DC - where he waxes nostalgia about all he has seen and offers some excellent commentary.

The first part traces the beginnings of the Palestinian movement and parallels some of the other Mid-East conflicts that would forge the PLO of today. We see America's innocence/ignorance of the local politics that cumulates into the killing of the 200+ Marines on a peacekeeping mission.

The second part juxtaposes the creation of the Jewish state against their Arab neighbors. While struggling to be a unique nation, they fall into the trip falls of the region. The author demonstrates that if you want to live in this neighborhood, you play by the "Hamas rules."

The second to last chapter is where the book really takes off. The author presents his solutions for peace (written in 1989) in the region. The last chapter (added in 1994) comments on the truce reached under the Clinton Administration. The

Though written before the recent assassinations and the current political upheaval, the book is a chilling look at what started this mess and what would derail any attempts at peace. A bit long-winded at times, the book is well written. From his own apartment building blowing up to rocks through his windshield, we see the daily struggle Jew and Arab faces. I recommend this book for anyone looking to better understand this war that rages in our daily headlines.

Rating:
Summary: Who am I? ... I don't know.
Review: As an American Jew and journalist, Thomas Friedman showed brillance in analyzing American & Israeli Jews' identity problem and Middle Eastern politics. Some people may dislike this book for some political reasons. But this book will greatly help you to understand not only changes in Middle Eastern politics but also changes in world politics.
For me, his analysis on the confusion of identity of Jewish people is especially touching. Though I have no Jewish blood in my vein, I can understand that kind of confusion. The truth of national identity is missing. Politics dictates us how to see ourselves. And when politics is in confusion, we really don't know who we are. The request for normalcy is luxury to some people.

Rating:
Summary: Captures a tragic conflict
Review: This book is a great introduction to the Middle East and the conflicts that you see in the news every day. The problem with the news is that it is difficult to learn about why certain things are going on and what led to those events. BEIRUT is not a history book, but it does provide a historical perspective, and it also provides analyses of why these things are happening. Most importantly, it gives a personal perspective, and it's filled with stories of his experiences during the decade or so that he spent in the Middle East.

Friedman is at his best in this book. He manages to refrain from taking sides while writing about issues that people tend to get very passionate and emotional about. Some people think he's pro- this or that, but I disagree. While he certainly endorses the state of Israel, he acknowledges the mistakes it has made and the flaws it still has. He criticizes everyone, and the Israelis and Israeli leadership are no exception.

What does come through is the concern that he has for this religiously and historically significant region of the world, and for the tragedies experienced by those who reside there. It is one person's view of the Middle East politics, and taken as such, it is very much worth reading if you are confused by the chaos there and want to know more about the region.