The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction

This book does an excellent job of giving a clear and comprehensive overview of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in a compact format. It covers the history, politics, and key events without overwhelming the reader, making it approachable for someone new to the subject. Despite being part of the “Very Short Introduction” series, it doesn’t feel shallow. The explanations are balanced and thoughtful, providing enough depth to understand the complexity of the conflict while still being easy to follow. A great starting point for anyone wanting to learn about this topic, and a solid reference to keep on the shelf.

A well-written and very readable overview of the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. I don't know enough about the conflict to state whether the author leaves anything important out of the book, although he does appear to be slightly biased toward the Palestinian side of the conflict and against the Israelis. I can say that his writing style is very clear, and the organization of each chapter, with an introduction stating what he was going to talk about in the chapter and a conclusion that recapped what was said in the chapter and laid the groundwork for the following chapter, made it very easy to follow and remember the various historical events that gave rise to and are a part of the conflict.

With the current news cycle, I wanted something that streamlined my understanding. Without opening millions of new tabs and google searches, this book did just that. It was a quick chronological synopsis up to the year 2012 that opens the door for deeper understanding and conversations about the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Excellent brief survey

Straightforwardly written and gives a good overview of the conflict in unbiased terms.

I bought this book as a better way to understand the origins of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Since most online sources seem to be very bias one way or the other, I was hoping this would be more objective. As someone who doesn't favor one side or the other, the bias against Israel was fairly apparent. Often times, the author would describe Israel's actions as excessive and brutal, but would seem to completely ignore or only mention in passing equally brutal tactics and acts by the PLO and Hamas. In times where the IDF took military action against Arab states, the text almost portrays IDF victories as unfair because the IDF was better trained and armed whereas Arab aggressors couldn't effectively coordinate between one another. He also mentions things like the mass expulsion of Palestinians after the 1948 war, but (unless I missed it) didn't really mention the expulsion of Jews from Arabs states following that same war. Just a few examples. Often times I would pause when reading and look up events on things like Wikipedia only to find that Wikipedia contained more facts and dialogue that would balance the argument between the Israelis and Palestinians, whereas this book would seem to lean more towards a pro-Palestinian narrative. I've noticed other reviews of this book, even highly rated reviews, call out this pro-Palestinian bias. With all that said, I suppose I met my objective in that I certainly better understand both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel arguments in this conflict. I found the writing itself to be a bit clunky and difficult to follow in certain spots. While the chapters themselves were written in chronological order, the text within the chapters seemed to jump around a bit. I also felt like there were certain areas that probably warranted at least a little more discussion, like the 1948 war between the IDF and Arabs states. Rather, the author very quickly glosses over the motivations behind the war, and the war itself, and jumps to discussing the impact on Palestinians post-war. Also, despite a 2013 copyright, there is effectively no discussion of some of the more recent conflicts and issues. Regardless of the criticisms, the book did present a number of facts, important dates, policies, and individuals that help people better understand the history of the conflict. Also, as the book's title indicates, this is a short introduction and, at best, is a basis to help with reading other more in-depth books about the subject. While I'm still searching for the "unicorn" that's an unbiased view of this conflict, the best thing might be to pick a book from each end of the spectrum and formulate your own opinion after reading both. I'm thinking there isn't anything out there that discusses this subject in a completely objective manner.

Used as a supplement for our huge textbook in my (Ivy League) college class on the conflict. After slogging through dozens of pages of minutiae, this was a joy to read. A simple, clear account of the conflict that identifies disagreement where it exists and attempts (insofar as possible with such a controversial subject) to avoid bias.

I will wear my mask to write this review because what I want to write might not help the situation. So, here it is: Thank you Mr. Bunton. I appreciate you. To those debating on the purchase of this text - purchase it. If nothing else - you will gain more information. 2012 and Mr. Obama, Rock On!!!