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Review:
5.0 out of 5 stars Unflinching and Essential Reading - Excellent Reporting by a Prolific Writer
Max Blumenthal delivers an incredibly powerful and meticulously researched account in "Goliath." What sets this book apart is Blumenthal's exceptional clarity of writing combined with his deep dive into historical context. His ability to present complex political and social dynamics in easy to read prose makes this both an engaging and educational read.The book provides comprehensive examinations of Palestinian experiences under Israeli occupation that I've encountered. Blumenthal's reporting is intense and unflinching, backed by extensive on-the-ground research and historical documentation. His journalistic approach brings important voices and perspectives to light that are marginalized by main stream media.Whether you're already familiar with Middle Eastern politics or approaching this topic for the first time, "Goliath" offers crucial insights into the human cost of ongoing conflicts. This book provides thorough research and Blumenthal's skill as a writer make this an indispensable read for anyone seeking to understand how Israel operates as an apartheid state.This book provided perspectives I hadn't previously encountered. Highly recommended for those interested in learning about the plight of the Palestinian people and the violent nature of Zionism.
5.0 out of 5 stars The awful truth
I've been following Israeli news and politics and visiting the region for ten years, so there was little in this book that was fundamentally new to me. But for anyone who didn't have time to keep up with the evolution of Israeli culture and politics over the last several years, this book is an excellent (and grimly entertaining) way to catch up.An increasingly proudly racist segment of Israeli society has become mainstreamed and acceptable, saying things about Palestinians (or rather 'Arabs,' since they won't deign to use the word 'Palestinian') that would make any Jim Crow partisan cringe with shame, kicking Bedouin off of land they have lived on for generations and into ghettos/reservations simply because they are not Jewish, forming vigilante groups to keep Jewish women from dating Arab men, and marching provocatively through Muslim neighborhoods in shows of force, contempt, and intimidation.And this is in Israel proper. In the Palestinian territories, the situation is even more dire. From "price tag" operations to rabbis who advocate the killing of non-Jewish children, it's a parallel universe, a parade of horrors of blind hatred and violence likened in many cases to "pogroms" even in the Israeli press.When the vast majority of the Jewish Israeli public supported the grisly, pointless slaughter of Operation Cast Lead, it was truly a new low. The US government supports the Israeli government and its policies to the tune of $8 million every day, yet the American press tells us virtually nothing about these trends.There are good people and great activists in Israel doing terrific and genuine work toward peace. But to understand what they are really up against -- not to mention what the Palestinians are up against -- this is an important book to read and an important set of realities to understand.
5.0 out of 5 stars Congratulations to the Author of this IMPORTANT , well written and researched book!
This is a hard book to put down, but I found I needed to come up for a breath of fresh! clean air a few times. And I started it with a distinctly pro-Israeli worldview.I cannot believe this book describes the country my Jewish then to be husband and I visited in 1997 or early 1998. I vividly recall the hours at the airport talking to a series of interrogators about why we're there. NOTE: My husband was 62, a professor of medicine invited to give a talk in Haifa! and I was 48, dressed like the lawyer I was, yet security questions went on in excess of 1.5 hours. SAME thing on our return home, ( and why did it matter then)????Yet my frustration was nothing compared to the experiences of Palestinians who wait at checkpoints at least twice a day to go thru checkpoints to farm their fields and tend orchards. A small point in this sprawling, fascinating book, but one that impatient Americans can relate to.We were not there in a peaceful time. within an hour of my arrival in Tel Aviv, as I stepped toward the beach outside the Hilton Hotel, a truck full of of soldiers with M-16s(.????)--- assault rifles-- poured out of a truck and ran down the broad sidewalk. Something similar happened each day we were there.I read a great deal to prepare for that trip, including both Tom Segev's books ( as well as biography of T. Hertzl, Zionism, history of the Balfour Agreement WWI in the Middle East. In general, WWII, the Holocaust , essentially the history of the European Wars in the 20th Century and their consequences, and on and on. I write this not to impress, but to establish my credentials for reviewing this book.As I said, every good thing has been said by other reviewers, but one thing that especially struck me was the government's (and society's) persecution of it's own Jewish citizens for any degree of dissent from what have become the state's present ethno-fascist policies. Senator Joseph McCarthy and president Nixon's deep suspicions of his own people, with the accompanying wiretaps, bullying, surveillance, etc., seem almost moderate when compared with 6 hour interrogations of dissidents, and seizure of their computers, at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport.And these are liberal leftists, not anarchists or terrorists-- the sort of people my husband and I are.Economic blacklisting, removal of prominent professors, scholars and intellectuals from positions in which they could teach young Israelis to think for themselves, the demotion of Mr Segev's from his once HIGHLY regarded status as journalist and historian, the enforce of "groupthink" by lower class and Russian thugs---- as a good liberal pro-Israel (with some misgivings about Palestinian repression) American I am SHOCKED by the Israel described by this book, and grateful that Mr. Blumenthal wrote it. Now I know! and what I learned is unforgettable.Americans spent serious dollars supporting Israel, and should know what they are REALLY supporting, as opposed to the Israeli image created by their enormous public relations machinery.A MUST READ indeed.
Israel, was ist aus dir geworden?
"These are the stories of people living under a regime of separation, grappling with the consequences of ethnic division in a land with no defined borders“ (Max Blumenthal)Der US-amerikanische Historiker, Journalist und Bestsellerautor Max Blumenthal hat sich insbesondere mit der Politik der Republikanischen Partei und Israels auseinandergesetzt. Sein Vater Sidney Blumenthal war Assistent von US-Präsident Clinton, von daher ist der Sohn gut vernetzt in der politischen Elite der USA und auch Israels, aber ebenso in der alternativen Szene.In Deutschland wurde Max Blumenthal durch das sogenannte Toilettengate bekannt, als er im Deutschen Bundestag zusammen mit dem Israeli David Sheen den Linken-Politiker Gregor Gysi bedrängte, um Antworten auf tatsächliche oder vermeintliche Diffamierungen zu bekommen. In der deutschen Presse wurde Blumenthal dann u.a. als „irrer Israel-Hasser“ beschimpft, was ihm überhaupt nicht gerecht wird.Dieses Buch beschreibt die Politik und Geschichte Israels sowohl aus der Sicht der Zionisten als auch der vertriebenen Palästinenser und der nichtjüdischen Israelis. Blumenthal hat viel Zeit in Israel und Palästina verbracht und unterschiedlichste Menschen interviewt. An diesem Buch hat er vier Jahre gearbeitet. Als jüdischer US-Amerikaner, der Hebräisch und Arabisch versteht, hatte er dabei persönlichen Zugang zu erzkonservativen, kriegerischen Politikern und als linker Aktivist auch zu arabisch-israelischen Demonstranten und Bürgerrechtlern.Das Buch ist in zehn Teile und insgesamt 73 Kapitel gegliedert, zum Teil chronologisch geordnet, zum Teil nach Themen. Die Gliederung habe ich nicht verstanden. Mal schildert Blumenthal historische Gegebenheiten, mal wechselt er zu persönlichen Berichten. Jedes Kapitel ist aber für sich schlüssig und überzeugend und lebendig erzählt. Blumenthal beschreibt u.a.- die Bombardierung der Gaza-Polizei durch Israel nach dem Wahlsieg der Hamas 2008- den Aufstieg des früheren Türstehers Avigdor Lieberman zum Minister mithilfe russischer Geldquellen- die Vertreibung der Palästinenser angeführt durch Ben Gurion 1948- den Boykott arabischer Händler, deren Gemüse mit Kerosin überschüttet wurde, ihre Eier zerschmettert- die Zerstörung der Häuser der Vertriebenen, die Enteignung ihrer Orangenplantagen und Olivenbäume- seit 1967 wurden über 26.000 palästinensische Wohnungen abgerissen- Kinder der nichtjüdischen Bevölkerung werden nachts aus dem Bett geholt und verhaftet- dagegen wird seit Jahrzehnten in israelischen Schulen diese Vertreibung verschwiegen, sodass Erwachsene wenig darüber wissen- stattdessen wird der Widerstand gegen die Besatzung nur mit „Antisemitismus“ verklärt- wer dagegen demonstriert, wird von der Polizei überwacht.- Protestierenden Israelis drohen Verhaftungen und Misshandlungen, Nicht-Israelis droht Schusswaffengebrauch- die Zionisten fühlen sich von allen bedroht, die ihrem jüdischen Nationalismus im Weg stehen, also nicht nur Muslime, sondern auch Christen oder afrikanische Flüchtlinge- einige Rabbis warnen jüdische Frauen öffentlich davor, sich mit „Kamelreitern“ einzulassen- ein Prof. Dan Schueftan vertritt das Konzept der hafrada, einer Art Apartheid, deren politische Umsetzung u.a. den Mauerbau beinhaltetBlumenthal belegt alles mit umfangreichen Fußnoten. Soweit ich sehen kann, sind die von ihm berichteten Fakten auch nicht umstritten. Allerdings sind einige Kapitel-Überschriften bewusst provozierend gewählt: „The Silence of the Lambs“, „How to kill Goyim and influence people“, „The Concentration Camp", und Zitate wie „Judeo-Nazis“.Dies hat in Deutschland zu dem Vorwurf geführt, Blumenthal vergleiche Israel mit Nazideutschland. Dabei ist der Autor weit von solchen unangemessenen Beschimpfungen entfernt, auch wenn er empört ist über die Verbrechen und Ungerechtigkeiten der Besatzung. In Israel ist das Trauma des Holocaust bzw. der Shoa allgegenwärtig, daher kommen solche Vergleiche in einer aufgeheizten politischen Auseinandersetzung durchaus vor. Blumenthal hat sich das nicht zu eigen gemacht, aber er zitiert es wiederholt. Diese Feinheiten fallen in einer verkürzten Darstellung etwa in der Zeitung mit den großen Buchstaben gerne unter den Tisch.Das Buch ist unbedingt lesenswert für alle die diesen Konflikt verstehen wollen. Es beschreibt den Hintergrund und die aktuelle Situation Israels aus erster Hand und von allen Seiten. Eine Übersetzung ins Deutsche wäre wünschenswert.
Excellent work. Very educational.
Great book! As someone who grew up in Israel, I can confirm that the general attitudes of the Israeli public described in this book are right on point. The book illustrates Israel's policies towards Palestine and the role that Zionism plays in shaping policy. Highly recommended to anyone trying to understand what led recent events in Israel.
It is not surprising that a number of Holocaust survivors have returned the medals presented to them by the Jewish State in disg
This book is excoriating and worrying – packed with compelling detail that makes it hard to put down. The finished impact is one in which we see the idealism of post war Jews utterly destroyed with the rise in Israel of the same ultra nationalism that led to the Holocaust. It is not surprising that a number of Holocaust survivors have returned the medals presented to them by the Jewish State in disgust at its military savagery and drift towards the very fascism that imprisoned and exterminated millions of Jews. But who would ever have contemplated fascism – in Israel?The title Goliath naturally suggests the name of David: for that read the Palestinians. And for Goliath read the military, cultural, economic complex of everything that Israel has become. Palestinians are now non-people, relegated to the shadows and policed by a conscript army composed of people not only indoctrinated with hate but actually instructed to make life as unbearable as possible for them. On the whole they do it willingly with enjoyment. The Palestinians continue to resist and their resistance is categorised as ‘terrorism’ and the western nations who support Israel adopt the same nomenclature, although it is clear that with the deliberate policy of settlement building support for Israel is now wearing thin.The British are, of course, noble in their rejection of nationalism not only because of their self examination of their Imperial past, but also because of the fight that we initially led against Nazi Germany and the master race ideology that propelled it. The ideas are remarkable similar to those outlined in Goliath. You have the master race – Israeli (ethnic) Jews; you have the ‘untermensch’, the Palestinians; you have the need for ‘lebensraum’ (living room) in a country so small that it has led to the creation of walled off settlements, Jewish only highways and ongoing military occupation.But, more than this, an ever increasing justification of the brutality they deal out to the indigenous occupants. Thus we get on p304 the rabbinical justification for killing innocent (Palestinian) children - ...’the rules of war “permit intentional hurting of babies and of innocent people, if this is necessary for a war against the evil people”’. This kind of thinking may be held by Rabbis that are considered extreme – but it has seeped into the thinking of the IDF and allows them, to bombard and exterminate, cripple and destroy on the kind of industrial scale witnessed in ‘Operation Cast Lead’ and ‘Operation Protective Edge’.The Israeli’s are indignant that anyone should object, arguing that in Gaza civilians are used as human shields by Hamas, and that many were actually deliberately killed by Hamas, or, more crudely, ‘there are no innocents in Gaza’. That the IDF is ‘the most moral army in the world’ and that Israel is a lot better than Syria or Iraq or Iran, the ‘only democracy in the Middle East’. And, the thing is, they really believe this garbage in the way that mothers can never contemplate that their sons may be guilty of horrendous crimes. It is classic cognitive dissonance.The sub-title ‘Life and Loathing in Greater Israel’ references what is now mainstream thought – the notions embedded in Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud (which means ‘consolidation’) Charter of no contiguous Palestinian State, and one Greater Israel stretching from the Jordan to the Mediterranean absorbing to all intents and purposes the Occupied Territories. There will be no single state in the conventional sense. There will be no Palestinian State. There will be no ‘equal rights’ for Palestinians. You will have Israel with democracy for Jews and votes for Palestinian Israelis but with institutionalised discrimination against them in areas such as property rights or army service (only Jews are allowed to do national service which is mandatory, with Bedouin recruits used for the ‘grunt’ jobs: there is no role for Palestinians). Palestinians will live in walled-off settlements with as little contact as possible with the outside world and, if they disturb the Israeli ‘quiet’, as they did in Gaza an excuse will be found to go in to ‘mow the grass’ (kill as many as possible; destroy as much as possible). The exercise will be enacted using high tech long distance weapons to teach the Palestinians a lesson with the minimum of Israeli casualties.The Palestinians have no choice but to fight. The Israeli’s would really prefer to just exterminate them and there are regular and increasing calls from the extreme right to eject them – Gaza into Egypt, and the West Bank into Jordan. The more the world allows Israel to get away with what it’s doing, the more this becomes a possibility.The Israeli response to all criticism is to allege the inherent anti-Semitism of the rest of the world. A central plank of Zionist nationalistic thought is that ‘everybody is against us’. This bunker mentality, dressed up as vindictiveness towards Gods chosen people, justifies them doing anything they like to whomsoever they like.People in North Korea are indoctrinated and oppressed, but one feels sorry for them. The Israeli’s are indoctrinated too – but one feels only contempt for them. It is a truly degenerate country rescued only by the courage of people like Gideon Levy and Amira Hass, and Noam Chomsky, Illan Pappe – and Max Blumethal. It is fitting that those in the vanguard of criticism of Israel are all Jewish. These are the true children of the Holocaust.
the banality of evil
This is a truly devastating book that has shattered the myths I held dear about Israel. It should be compulsory reading for every Israeli citizen, American taxpayer and all who aspire for peace with justice in the Middle East. Would that such a book had been written about Germany in the 1930's. How supremely ironic that the 'people of the book' should so slavishly ignore the golden rule: "do unto others ..."I have always wondered how such a sophisticated and cultured society as Germany could slide into fascism and was enlightened by Hannah Arendt's coverage of the Eichman trial and her observation about 'the banality of evil'. Max Blumenthal has written chapter and verse about our collective 'dark side'. We are all capable of such evil and he and Adendt exhort us to think more expansively about the bureaucracy and practices of our various nation states. My own country, Australia, has recently elected a bunch of 'tea party' conservatives to govern our nation who are now taking a wrecking ball to our formerly egalitarian society.I read the ebook version of 'Goliath' and still held doubts as to whether there were some other explanations for the behaviours described in it until I finished the text and toggled through the extensive notes attached at the book's conclusion. The evidence is overwhelming.The book leaves unanswered what those of us who support peace can actually do or is BDS the only answer?Michael Johnston
A must read!
This well-written book contains a detailed chronicle of the situation in Israel/Palestine and provides the historical context to understand it. Max Blumenthal's analysis is informed and insightful, leading to the conclusion that the only just solution to the injustices in Israel/Palestine is a bi-national state where everyone is treated equally, regardless of their ethnicity or religion. Significantly, he demonstrates how the injustices in Israel/Palestine did not start with the occupation, recounting the well-documented process of ethnic cleaning that enabled the foundation of the state of Israel. The quotes from military commanders and political leaders justifying massacres and mass displacement of the indigenous Palestinian population are chilling. Blumenthal illustrates the continuity between the actions and attitudes of the past and the occupation and settlement policy of the present.Fascinatingly, he quotes Condoleezza Rice's initial misgivings when Tzipi Livni, then foreign minister, rejected the rights of Palestinians' to return to the land and property that had been confiscated from them when the state of Israel was founded. Rice said `I must admit that though I understood the argument intellectually, it struck me as a harsh defense of the ethnic purity of the Israeli state when Tzipi said it. It was one of those conversations that shocked my sensibilities as an American. After all, the very concept of American rejects ethnic or religious definitions of citizenship. Moreover, there were Arab citizens of Israel. Where did they fit in?' Rice managed to resolve these contradictions in her own mind by accepting the idea that there was something singular about a Jewish state that made these distinctions and their enforcement acceptable. But her initial misgivings were correct - how can there be a free pass for ethnic cleansing and apartheid? These are the terms used by Jewish and Palestinian activists to describe the situation in Israel and the occupied territories. They are highly loaded words but, sadly, they are accurate descriptions of what has happened and is now happening in Israel/Palestine.The book also discusses social and class divisions amongst Jewish Israelis with the privileged Ashkenazi community (who gained the most from the confiscation of Palestinian lands and property at the foundation of the state of Israel) at the top of the social pyramid and people with Mizrahi, Russian and Ethiopian Jewish origins at the bottom. Blumenthal shows how these divisions have been manipulated to create support for repressive measures against Palestinians and the recent wave of non-Jewish immigrants. He compares this situation to the US, referencing Jim Crow and anti-immigrant sentiments.There have been many inaccurate reviews, which have attempted to smear the book and its author. None, however, have addressed the actual irrefutable evidence of past and present ethnic cleansing that the book documents. On a positive note there are a growing number of brave Jewish and Palestinian activists who are challenging the status quo and demanding, through non-violent means, a state where all are treated equally.
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Visit the Bold Type Books Store
Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel
AED13166
Quantity:
Order today to get by
Free delivery on orders over AED 200
Imported From: United States
At bolo.ae, we stand behind the authenticity and quality of every product we sell. We guarantee that all items offered on our website are 100% genuine, sourced directly from authorized distributors, trusted partners, or the original brands themselves.
We do not sell counterfeit, replica, or unauthorized goods. Each product undergoes thorough inspection and verification at our consolidation and fulfilment centers to ensure it meets our strict authenticity and quality standards before being shipped and delivered to you.
If you ever have concerns regarding the authenticity of a product purchased from us, please contact Bolo Support . We will review your inquiry promptly and, if necessary, provide documentation verifying authenticity or offer a suitable resolution.
Your trust is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in every transaction.
All product information, including images, descriptions, and reviews, is provided by third-party vendors. bolo.ae is not responsible for any claims, promotions, or representations made within product content or images. For more accurate or detailed product information, please contact the manufacturer directly or reach out to Bolo Support.
Unless otherwise stated during checkout, all prices displayed on the product page include applicable taxes and import duties.
bolo.ae operates in accordance with the laws and regulations of United Arab Emirates. Any items found to be restricted or prohibited for sale within the UAE will be cancelled prior to shipment. We take proactive measures to ensure that only products permitted for sale in United Arab Emirates are listed on our website.
All items are shipped by air, and any products classified as “Dangerous Goods (DG)” under IATA regulations will be removed from the order and cancelled.
All orders are processed manually, and we make every effort to process them promptly once confirmed. Products cancelled due to the above reasons will be permanently removed from listings across the website.
Description:
Review:
5.0 out of 5 stars Unflinching and Essential Reading - Excellent Reporting by a Prolific Writer
Max Blumenthal delivers an incredibly powerful and meticulously researched account in "Goliath." What sets this book apart is Blumenthal's exceptional clarity of writing combined with his deep dive into historical context. His ability to present complex political and social dynamics in easy to read prose makes this both an engaging and educational read.The book provides comprehensive examinations of Palestinian experiences under Israeli occupation that I've encountered. Blumenthal's reporting is intense and unflinching, backed by extensive on-the-ground research and historical documentation. His journalistic approach brings important voices and perspectives to light that are marginalized by main stream media.Whether you're already familiar with Middle Eastern politics or approaching this topic for the first time, "Goliath" offers crucial insights into the human cost of ongoing conflicts. This book provides thorough research and Blumenthal's skill as a writer make this an indispensable read for anyone seeking to understand how Israel operates as an apartheid state.This book provided perspectives I hadn't previously encountered. Highly recommended for those interested in learning about the plight of the Palestinian people and the violent nature of Zionism.
5.0 out of 5 stars The awful truth
I've been following Israeli news and politics and visiting the region for ten years, so there was little in this book that was fundamentally new to me. But for anyone who didn't have time to keep up with the evolution of Israeli culture and politics over the last several years, this book is an excellent (and grimly entertaining) way to catch up.An increasingly proudly racist segment of Israeli society has become mainstreamed and acceptable, saying things about Palestinians (or rather 'Arabs,' since they won't deign to use the word 'Palestinian') that would make any Jim Crow partisan cringe with shame, kicking Bedouin off of land they have lived on for generations and into ghettos/reservations simply because they are not Jewish, forming vigilante groups to keep Jewish women from dating Arab men, and marching provocatively through Muslim neighborhoods in shows of force, contempt, and intimidation.And this is in Israel proper. In the Palestinian territories, the situation is even more dire. From "price tag" operations to rabbis who advocate the killing of non-Jewish children, it's a parallel universe, a parade of horrors of blind hatred and violence likened in many cases to "pogroms" even in the Israeli press.When the vast majority of the Jewish Israeli public supported the grisly, pointless slaughter of Operation Cast Lead, it was truly a new low. The US government supports the Israeli government and its policies to the tune of $8 million every day, yet the American press tells us virtually nothing about these trends.There are good people and great activists in Israel doing terrific and genuine work toward peace. But to understand what they are really up against -- not to mention what the Palestinians are up against -- this is an important book to read and an important set of realities to understand.
5.0 out of 5 stars Congratulations to the Author of this IMPORTANT , well written and researched book!
This is a hard book to put down, but I found I needed to come up for a breath of fresh! clean air a few times. And I started it with a distinctly pro-Israeli worldview.I cannot believe this book describes the country my Jewish then to be husband and I visited in 1997 or early 1998. I vividly recall the hours at the airport talking to a series of interrogators about why we're there. NOTE: My husband was 62, a professor of medicine invited to give a talk in Haifa! and I was 48, dressed like the lawyer I was, yet security questions went on in excess of 1.5 hours. SAME thing on our return home, ( and why did it matter then)????Yet my frustration was nothing compared to the experiences of Palestinians who wait at checkpoints at least twice a day to go thru checkpoints to farm their fields and tend orchards. A small point in this sprawling, fascinating book, but one that impatient Americans can relate to.We were not there in a peaceful time. within an hour of my arrival in Tel Aviv, as I stepped toward the beach outside the Hilton Hotel, a truck full of of soldiers with M-16s(.????)--- assault rifles-- poured out of a truck and ran down the broad sidewalk. Something similar happened each day we were there.I read a great deal to prepare for that trip, including both Tom Segev's books ( as well as biography of T. Hertzl, Zionism, history of the Balfour Agreement WWI in the Middle East. In general, WWII, the Holocaust , essentially the history of the European Wars in the 20th Century and their consequences, and on and on. I write this not to impress, but to establish my credentials for reviewing this book.As I said, every good thing has been said by other reviewers, but one thing that especially struck me was the government's (and society's) persecution of it's own Jewish citizens for any degree of dissent from what have become the state's present ethno-fascist policies. Senator Joseph McCarthy and president Nixon's deep suspicions of his own people, with the accompanying wiretaps, bullying, surveillance, etc., seem almost moderate when compared with 6 hour interrogations of dissidents, and seizure of their computers, at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport.And these are liberal leftists, not anarchists or terrorists-- the sort of people my husband and I are.Economic blacklisting, removal of prominent professors, scholars and intellectuals from positions in which they could teach young Israelis to think for themselves, the demotion of Mr Segev's from his once HIGHLY regarded status as journalist and historian, the enforce of "groupthink" by lower class and Russian thugs---- as a good liberal pro-Israel (with some misgivings about Palestinian repression) American I am SHOCKED by the Israel described by this book, and grateful that Mr. Blumenthal wrote it. Now I know! and what I learned is unforgettable.Americans spent serious dollars supporting Israel, and should know what they are REALLY supporting, as opposed to the Israeli image created by their enormous public relations machinery.A MUST READ indeed.
Israel, was ist aus dir geworden?
"These are the stories of people living under a regime of separation, grappling with the consequences of ethnic division in a land with no defined borders“ (Max Blumenthal)Der US-amerikanische Historiker, Journalist und Bestsellerautor Max Blumenthal hat sich insbesondere mit der Politik der Republikanischen Partei und Israels auseinandergesetzt. Sein Vater Sidney Blumenthal war Assistent von US-Präsident Clinton, von daher ist der Sohn gut vernetzt in der politischen Elite der USA und auch Israels, aber ebenso in der alternativen Szene.In Deutschland wurde Max Blumenthal durch das sogenannte Toilettengate bekannt, als er im Deutschen Bundestag zusammen mit dem Israeli David Sheen den Linken-Politiker Gregor Gysi bedrängte, um Antworten auf tatsächliche oder vermeintliche Diffamierungen zu bekommen. In der deutschen Presse wurde Blumenthal dann u.a. als „irrer Israel-Hasser“ beschimpft, was ihm überhaupt nicht gerecht wird.Dieses Buch beschreibt die Politik und Geschichte Israels sowohl aus der Sicht der Zionisten als auch der vertriebenen Palästinenser und der nichtjüdischen Israelis. Blumenthal hat viel Zeit in Israel und Palästina verbracht und unterschiedlichste Menschen interviewt. An diesem Buch hat er vier Jahre gearbeitet. Als jüdischer US-Amerikaner, der Hebräisch und Arabisch versteht, hatte er dabei persönlichen Zugang zu erzkonservativen, kriegerischen Politikern und als linker Aktivist auch zu arabisch-israelischen Demonstranten und Bürgerrechtlern.Das Buch ist in zehn Teile und insgesamt 73 Kapitel gegliedert, zum Teil chronologisch geordnet, zum Teil nach Themen. Die Gliederung habe ich nicht verstanden. Mal schildert Blumenthal historische Gegebenheiten, mal wechselt er zu persönlichen Berichten. Jedes Kapitel ist aber für sich schlüssig und überzeugend und lebendig erzählt. Blumenthal beschreibt u.a.- die Bombardierung der Gaza-Polizei durch Israel nach dem Wahlsieg der Hamas 2008- den Aufstieg des früheren Türstehers Avigdor Lieberman zum Minister mithilfe russischer Geldquellen- die Vertreibung der Palästinenser angeführt durch Ben Gurion 1948- den Boykott arabischer Händler, deren Gemüse mit Kerosin überschüttet wurde, ihre Eier zerschmettert- die Zerstörung der Häuser der Vertriebenen, die Enteignung ihrer Orangenplantagen und Olivenbäume- seit 1967 wurden über 26.000 palästinensische Wohnungen abgerissen- Kinder der nichtjüdischen Bevölkerung werden nachts aus dem Bett geholt und verhaftet- dagegen wird seit Jahrzehnten in israelischen Schulen diese Vertreibung verschwiegen, sodass Erwachsene wenig darüber wissen- stattdessen wird der Widerstand gegen die Besatzung nur mit „Antisemitismus“ verklärt- wer dagegen demonstriert, wird von der Polizei überwacht.- Protestierenden Israelis drohen Verhaftungen und Misshandlungen, Nicht-Israelis droht Schusswaffengebrauch- die Zionisten fühlen sich von allen bedroht, die ihrem jüdischen Nationalismus im Weg stehen, also nicht nur Muslime, sondern auch Christen oder afrikanische Flüchtlinge- einige Rabbis warnen jüdische Frauen öffentlich davor, sich mit „Kamelreitern“ einzulassen- ein Prof. Dan Schueftan vertritt das Konzept der hafrada, einer Art Apartheid, deren politische Umsetzung u.a. den Mauerbau beinhaltetBlumenthal belegt alles mit umfangreichen Fußnoten. Soweit ich sehen kann, sind die von ihm berichteten Fakten auch nicht umstritten. Allerdings sind einige Kapitel-Überschriften bewusst provozierend gewählt: „The Silence of the Lambs“, „How to kill Goyim and influence people“, „The Concentration Camp", und Zitate wie „Judeo-Nazis“.Dies hat in Deutschland zu dem Vorwurf geführt, Blumenthal vergleiche Israel mit Nazideutschland. Dabei ist der Autor weit von solchen unangemessenen Beschimpfungen entfernt, auch wenn er empört ist über die Verbrechen und Ungerechtigkeiten der Besatzung. In Israel ist das Trauma des Holocaust bzw. der Shoa allgegenwärtig, daher kommen solche Vergleiche in einer aufgeheizten politischen Auseinandersetzung durchaus vor. Blumenthal hat sich das nicht zu eigen gemacht, aber er zitiert es wiederholt. Diese Feinheiten fallen in einer verkürzten Darstellung etwa in der Zeitung mit den großen Buchstaben gerne unter den Tisch.Das Buch ist unbedingt lesenswert für alle die diesen Konflikt verstehen wollen. Es beschreibt den Hintergrund und die aktuelle Situation Israels aus erster Hand und von allen Seiten. Eine Übersetzung ins Deutsche wäre wünschenswert.
Excellent work. Very educational.
Great book! As someone who grew up in Israel, I can confirm that the general attitudes of the Israeli public described in this book are right on point. The book illustrates Israel's policies towards Palestine and the role that Zionism plays in shaping policy. Highly recommended to anyone trying to understand what led recent events in Israel.
It is not surprising that a number of Holocaust survivors have returned the medals presented to them by the Jewish State in disg
This book is excoriating and worrying – packed with compelling detail that makes it hard to put down. The finished impact is one in which we see the idealism of post war Jews utterly destroyed with the rise in Israel of the same ultra nationalism that led to the Holocaust. It is not surprising that a number of Holocaust survivors have returned the medals presented to them by the Jewish State in disgust at its military savagery and drift towards the very fascism that imprisoned and exterminated millions of Jews. But who would ever have contemplated fascism – in Israel?The title Goliath naturally suggests the name of David: for that read the Palestinians. And for Goliath read the military, cultural, economic complex of everything that Israel has become. Palestinians are now non-people, relegated to the shadows and policed by a conscript army composed of people not only indoctrinated with hate but actually instructed to make life as unbearable as possible for them. On the whole they do it willingly with enjoyment. The Palestinians continue to resist and their resistance is categorised as ‘terrorism’ and the western nations who support Israel adopt the same nomenclature, although it is clear that with the deliberate policy of settlement building support for Israel is now wearing thin.The British are, of course, noble in their rejection of nationalism not only because of their self examination of their Imperial past, but also because of the fight that we initially led against Nazi Germany and the master race ideology that propelled it. The ideas are remarkable similar to those outlined in Goliath. You have the master race – Israeli (ethnic) Jews; you have the ‘untermensch’, the Palestinians; you have the need for ‘lebensraum’ (living room) in a country so small that it has led to the creation of walled off settlements, Jewish only highways and ongoing military occupation.But, more than this, an ever increasing justification of the brutality they deal out to the indigenous occupants. Thus we get on p304 the rabbinical justification for killing innocent (Palestinian) children - ...’the rules of war “permit intentional hurting of babies and of innocent people, if this is necessary for a war against the evil people”’. This kind of thinking may be held by Rabbis that are considered extreme – but it has seeped into the thinking of the IDF and allows them, to bombard and exterminate, cripple and destroy on the kind of industrial scale witnessed in ‘Operation Cast Lead’ and ‘Operation Protective Edge’.The Israeli’s are indignant that anyone should object, arguing that in Gaza civilians are used as human shields by Hamas, and that many were actually deliberately killed by Hamas, or, more crudely, ‘there are no innocents in Gaza’. That the IDF is ‘the most moral army in the world’ and that Israel is a lot better than Syria or Iraq or Iran, the ‘only democracy in the Middle East’. And, the thing is, they really believe this garbage in the way that mothers can never contemplate that their sons may be guilty of horrendous crimes. It is classic cognitive dissonance.The sub-title ‘Life and Loathing in Greater Israel’ references what is now mainstream thought – the notions embedded in Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud (which means ‘consolidation’) Charter of no contiguous Palestinian State, and one Greater Israel stretching from the Jordan to the Mediterranean absorbing to all intents and purposes the Occupied Territories. There will be no single state in the conventional sense. There will be no Palestinian State. There will be no ‘equal rights’ for Palestinians. You will have Israel with democracy for Jews and votes for Palestinian Israelis but with institutionalised discrimination against them in areas such as property rights or army service (only Jews are allowed to do national service which is mandatory, with Bedouin recruits used for the ‘grunt’ jobs: there is no role for Palestinians). Palestinians will live in walled-off settlements with as little contact as possible with the outside world and, if they disturb the Israeli ‘quiet’, as they did in Gaza an excuse will be found to go in to ‘mow the grass’ (kill as many as possible; destroy as much as possible). The exercise will be enacted using high tech long distance weapons to teach the Palestinians a lesson with the minimum of Israeli casualties.The Palestinians have no choice but to fight. The Israeli’s would really prefer to just exterminate them and there are regular and increasing calls from the extreme right to eject them – Gaza into Egypt, and the West Bank into Jordan. The more the world allows Israel to get away with what it’s doing, the more this becomes a possibility.The Israeli response to all criticism is to allege the inherent anti-Semitism of the rest of the world. A central plank of Zionist nationalistic thought is that ‘everybody is against us’. This bunker mentality, dressed up as vindictiveness towards Gods chosen people, justifies them doing anything they like to whomsoever they like.People in North Korea are indoctrinated and oppressed, but one feels sorry for them. The Israeli’s are indoctrinated too – but one feels only contempt for them. It is a truly degenerate country rescued only by the courage of people like Gideon Levy and Amira Hass, and Noam Chomsky, Illan Pappe – and Max Blumethal. It is fitting that those in the vanguard of criticism of Israel are all Jewish. These are the true children of the Holocaust.
the banality of evil
This is a truly devastating book that has shattered the myths I held dear about Israel. It should be compulsory reading for every Israeli citizen, American taxpayer and all who aspire for peace with justice in the Middle East. Would that such a book had been written about Germany in the 1930's. How supremely ironic that the 'people of the book' should so slavishly ignore the golden rule: "do unto others ..."I have always wondered how such a sophisticated and cultured society as Germany could slide into fascism and was enlightened by Hannah Arendt's coverage of the Eichman trial and her observation about 'the banality of evil'. Max Blumenthal has written chapter and verse about our collective 'dark side'. We are all capable of such evil and he and Adendt exhort us to think more expansively about the bureaucracy and practices of our various nation states. My own country, Australia, has recently elected a bunch of 'tea party' conservatives to govern our nation who are now taking a wrecking ball to our formerly egalitarian society.I read the ebook version of 'Goliath' and still held doubts as to whether there were some other explanations for the behaviours described in it until I finished the text and toggled through the extensive notes attached at the book's conclusion. The evidence is overwhelming.The book leaves unanswered what those of us who support peace can actually do or is BDS the only answer?Michael Johnston
A must read!
This well-written book contains a detailed chronicle of the situation in Israel/Palestine and provides the historical context to understand it. Max Blumenthal's analysis is informed and insightful, leading to the conclusion that the only just solution to the injustices in Israel/Palestine is a bi-national state where everyone is treated equally, regardless of their ethnicity or religion. Significantly, he demonstrates how the injustices in Israel/Palestine did not start with the occupation, recounting the well-documented process of ethnic cleaning that enabled the foundation of the state of Israel. The quotes from military commanders and political leaders justifying massacres and mass displacement of the indigenous Palestinian population are chilling. Blumenthal illustrates the continuity between the actions and attitudes of the past and the occupation and settlement policy of the present.Fascinatingly, he quotes Condoleezza Rice's initial misgivings when Tzipi Livni, then foreign minister, rejected the rights of Palestinians' to return to the land and property that had been confiscated from them when the state of Israel was founded. Rice said `I must admit that though I understood the argument intellectually, it struck me as a harsh defense of the ethnic purity of the Israeli state when Tzipi said it. It was one of those conversations that shocked my sensibilities as an American. After all, the very concept of American rejects ethnic or religious definitions of citizenship. Moreover, there were Arab citizens of Israel. Where did they fit in?' Rice managed to resolve these contradictions in her own mind by accepting the idea that there was something singular about a Jewish state that made these distinctions and their enforcement acceptable. But her initial misgivings were correct - how can there be a free pass for ethnic cleansing and apartheid? These are the terms used by Jewish and Palestinian activists to describe the situation in Israel and the occupied territories. They are highly loaded words but, sadly, they are accurate descriptions of what has happened and is now happening in Israel/Palestine.The book also discusses social and class divisions amongst Jewish Israelis with the privileged Ashkenazi community (who gained the most from the confiscation of Palestinian lands and property at the foundation of the state of Israel) at the top of the social pyramid and people with Mizrahi, Russian and Ethiopian Jewish origins at the bottom. Blumenthal shows how these divisions have been manipulated to create support for repressive measures against Palestinians and the recent wave of non-Jewish immigrants. He compares this situation to the US, referencing Jim Crow and anti-immigrant sentiments.There have been many inaccurate reviews, which have attempted to smear the book and its author. None, however, have addressed the actual irrefutable evidence of past and present ethnic cleansing that the book documents. On a positive note there are a growing number of brave Jewish and Palestinian activists who are challenging the status quo and demanding, through non-violent means, a state where all are treated equally.
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