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Rating: 
Summary: Nice introduction to subject but little detail
Review: A concise history of the Arab Israeli Conflict 4th Ed. This book
is 379 pages published by Pearson Education. This details info about Islam and Judaisim and moves very fast into the 20th century where the crux of the conflict occured. It explains in detail but at the same time in general themes if that is possible. It is not as detailed as some books I have seen but it will do the reader very nicely who wants to go deeper than the surface about the inticacies of this conflict. The author does incorporate a stunning photo on the cover with the view of the Wailing Wall and Dome of the Rock. While documents are provided at the end of the chapters, there are some that I feel are essential to look at but are left out. While its a good book I am goign to rate this one average because I know of a much better book (Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict by C.D. Smith).
Rating: 
Summary: Most even-handed book on the conflict I've read
Review: I have read a few books on the Arab-Israeli conflict (and skimmed many more), and was pleasantly surprised at this one. Most books on this subject are clearly biased one way or the other and ridden with propaganda. I found this book to be one of the few (if not the only) that was balanced and gave equal time to both sides. Neither side is potrayed as innocent victims (because neither side in this conflict is innocent), nor is either side portrayed as bloodthirsty demons. Believe me, if you've spent any time looking at books on the Arab-Israeli conflict, you will know that this is truly rare. There is an abundance of primary source material included, which many books do not provide. Overall I found the book to indeed be concise (as the title claims), informational, and easy to read. This would be an excellent background book for anyone who knows nothing about the conflict in the Middle East and would like to learn more without being fed huge amounts of propaganda by either side. Anyone who already knows a great deal about the history of the area would probably be bored by this book, because it doesn't offer a great deal of analysis or theory, just information.
Rating: 
Summary: A useful, fair-minded reference.
Review: If you want clarity, balance, and documentation on the Arab-Israeli conflict during the 20th Century, this is a very useful resource. It contains dozens of documents from both sides and the middle: the speeches of political leaders, peace treaties, letters, political declarations, UN agreements. If you want numbers -- population figures, finances, maps,-- and words from the mouths of the chief statesmen, along with a systematic if somewhat dry narrative of the political events that have shaped modern ME history, this book gives a very good overview. I have found it extermely useful in discussing the subject with friends. If, however, you're looking for Lawrence of Arabia, as some of the reviewers below appear to have been, well, there's always Hollywood video.
Rating:
Summary: A new definition to the word boring
Review: The book gives new definition to the word boring. Anybody with sleeping problems will sleep within fifteen minutes. It get three stars for all the information you can find in there, but it is told in a very boring way. All figures will probably be correct, but next time can it be presented in a way which makes it more fun and interesting to read???
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