Conflicts and Contradictions

Although largely concerned with developments on the West Bank, the former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem's memoir/ political study transcends regional events to deal with the basic conflicts between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs

Benvenisti, formerly Jerusalem's deputy mayor for Arab affairs, here offers a highly personal, controversial exploration of Israeli-Palestinian relations today. In a series of connected essays, he first examines the Zionist ethos of his generation's pioneer-parents and finds it embodies "inherent contradictions" that fail to provide guidelines for present-day conditions. He then describes the current era of "conquest and occupation," both in "polarized" Jerusalemwhere the author lives among Palestinians who are at once "neighbors and enemies"and along the West Bank. Benvenisti's mix of a personal perspective with broader analysis is intriguing, and his questioning of Zionist ideology and respect for Palestinian claims make this an unusual and provocative work. February 24
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Benvenisti was for some years deputy mayor of Jerusalem for Arab affairs and is well acquainted with the Arab population of Israel. He is also a member of the ever-smaller minority of Israeli-born citizens who remember the heroic days of state-building in the 1930s and 1940s. Thus, he is perfectly suited to write this bookwhich is partly memoir, partly political analysison the relations between Israel and the Palestinians. Benvenisti has amassed a vast collection of materials on the West Bank and its condition under Israeli occupation, and he adds some new insights to our knowledge. Though on the left side of the political spectrum, he is not closed to other ideas and writes with frankness and candor. Recommended. Jehuda Reinharz, Near Eastern & Judaic Studies Dept., Brandeis Univ., Waltham, Mass.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.