Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
Anna Baltzer, a young Jewish American, went to the West Bank to discover the realities of daily life for Palestinians under the occupation. What she found would change her outlook on the conflict forever. She wrote this book to give voice to the stories of the people who welcomed her with open arms as their lives crumbled around them. For eight months, Baltzer lived and worked with farmers, Palestinian and Israeli activists, and the families of political prisoners, traveling with them across endless checkpoints and roadblocks to reach hospitals, universities, and olive groves. Baltzer witnessed firsthand the environmental devastation brought on by expanding settlements and outposts and the destruction wrought by Israel s separation barrier, which separates many families from each other, their communities, their land, and basic human services. What emerges from Baltzer's account is not a sensationalist tale of suicide bombers and conspiracies, but a compelling and inspiring description of the trials of daily life under the occupation.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
One-sided propaganda tract
Customer Rating:
This work is a one- sided propaganda tract. It begins with a general claim which is false i.e. that Judea and Samaria, or the West Bank are indisputably Palestinian Arab lands which Israel has no claim to, and has taken by aggression. In fact the reality is more complicated. These lands which constitute the heartland of historical Israel were in fact under Jordanian control in 1967. There was no Palestinian sovereignty in this territory, and the Jordanian sovereignty was recognized only by Great Britain and Pakistan. When Jordan attacked Israel in 1967 Israel responded by taking these territories. Until 1993 when the Oslo agreement was made these territories were under Israeli military control and civil administration. Beginning in 1993 with the Oslo agreement Israel began withdrawing from certain territories, leaving others under Israeli military and civilian control. Also from 1973 Israel began building settlements in these territories in areas which were by and large state- lands. There were other areas which had been under Jewish control before 1948 and which had been taken over by the Arabs at that time. The situation in these territories is disputed to this day. Israel made a number of efforts at making peace with the Arab world , and with the Palestinians including the Ehud Barak offer which would have given ninety- seven percent of these areas to the Palestinian Arabs. Israel's offer was rejected. This book says nothing about the political rejections. Nor does it say anything about the thousands of acts of terror against civilians initiated by the Palestinian Arabs and their allies against Israelis. The difficulties which the Palestinian Arabs face in everyday life due to roadblocks come because the Palestinians themselves have not been able to stop terror acts against Israeli civilians. Israel takes defensive measures to protect its citizens. This is not explained in this book. Nothing is said in this book about the whole ideological element in Palestinian society calling for the destruction of Israel and inciting to murder of civilians. It is indeed regrettable that Palestinian Arabs suffer certain hardships because they cannot bring themselves to decide to live in peace with Israel. This author has no real understanding of Israeli society, and of the traumatic effects of Arab violence and terror upon it. Nor does she show a sense of the historical record. In all the incidents she describes there is not one comparable in its horror to that lynch scene in Ramallah in which masses of Palestinians cheered as two Israeli soldiers were publicly murdered. Israel is a society of people who aim for Peace, who love Peace, and for whom Peace is a fundamental religious value. Palestinian Arabs unfortunately place first value on military conquest and honor. That they have gotten this dupe on their side cannot change the true reality of one side wanting peace, and another promoting violence.
Witness in Palestine is a must read!!!!
Customer Rating:
This is the best book I can think of and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning what it's like to live under occupation. It's definitely a must read especially for Americans whose tax money is supporting "Israel" unconditionally, so whether they like it or not they are directly involved in this conflict and hence ought to understand it. Also, Israelis should really read this because there is so much they don't know about Palestinians, and so much mistrust and hatred created by the governments that makes justice and peace look impossible or even threatening. Finally, as a Palestinian I think all Palestinians should read this so as to reflect on things and situations in our daily lives that we've started considering normal but need to be reminded that they are not, and to realize that there are some amazing international and Israeli activists out there who dared to take a stands against the brutal occupation. These grassroot bridges of trust and understanding between our peoples are really the only path for a just and lasting peace. Let us start this understanding now by reading Anna Baltzer's honest and genuine work "Witness in Palestine: A Jewish American Woman In The Occupied Territories".
Perhaps the most revealing book on the topic
Customer Rating:
This book blew me away. I've yet to come across another book on the Israel/Palestine conflict that takes such an intimate look at the day-to-day life of Palestinians under occupation. The humiliation, pain, and loss these people go through everyday is clear and undeniable. It's pretty difficult to get through this book without getting angry at least a couple of times. the subject matter is very troubling.
Baltzer also cuts through many of the myths that still dominate the context of debates in the United States on this issue.
If You Care About Israel or the USA, Then Read This Book!
Customer Rating:
This book was an eye-opener for me. Like most Americans, I had heard all about Palestinian violence but had no idea how extensive and organized the Palestinian non-violent civil rights movement is. Also, though I had done enough reading to realize that Israel has been unnecessarily brutal to the Palestinians, I was not fully aware of the systematic and daily nature of the violence, extending into every facet of life in occupied Palestine. The ability of so many Palestinians to remain non-violent in the face of the arbitrary and capricious brutality Ms Baltzer has witnessed is remarkable and inspiring.
Ms Baltzer's lucid writing and eye witness perspective shows life under the occupation through a lens that is clear and sharp. She herself is in the middle of the events she chronicles and when she relies on secondary sources, most are people she interviews herself, often within minutes or hours of the events being described. The result is a book that is raw and powerful.
The book is organized chronologically into chapters of a few pages each, describing one day or one event, and illustrated with photos of actual participants on all sides in so much as is possible. Thus it is easy to dip in and out of the book if you please or even to start at the back and read forwards. VERY IMPORTANT: read the appendices! In just 20 pages of appendices, Baltzer packs more useful information about big-picture issues than many entire books on this subject and she articulates issues clearly and cogently (we are dealing with an exceptionally gifted writer here). I found Appendix IV: Myths & Frequently Asked Questions and Appendix V: Quotations from Prominent Figures to be particularly eye opening. If you have limited time or are leafing through the book in a book store, you might even start with these two appendices and then go to the first chapter.
If everyone in America and Israel were to read this book, lasting peace in Israel and Palestine would come a whole lot sooner.
(Note: Ms Baltzer has also put out a DVD which will get you through the basics of life in occupied Palestine in the space of an hour. The DVD is well done and also well worth having. The book, however, includes a lot more about life under the occupation as well as more useful big-picture info in the appendices.)
Excellent book!!
Customer Rating:
What an excellent and important book! The day to day oppression inflicted on the Palestinian people is heartbreaking! If I could, I would buy a copy of this book for every member of Congress and insist they read it before authorizing any more military aid to Israel. Thank you Anna for shedding some light on the "other side" of this terrible situation.
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