Can We Talk About Israel?: A Guide for the Curious, Confused, and Conflicted
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- Create Date：2021-11-01 17:21:12
- Update Date：2025-09-13
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- Author：Daniel Sokatch
- ISBN：1635573874
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Summary
From the expert who understands both sides of one of the world's most complex， controversial conflicts， a modern-day Guide for the Perplexed-a primer on Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian issue。
"Can't you just explain the Israel situation to me？ In， like， 10 minutes or less？" This is the question Daniel Sokatch is used to answering on an almost daily basis。 As the head of the New Israel Fund， which is dedicated to equality and democracy for all Israelis， not just Jews， Sokatch is supremely well-versed on the Israeli conflict。
Can We Talk About Israel？ is the story of that conflict， and of why so many people feel so strongly about it without actually understanding it very well at all。 It is an attempt to grapple with a century-long struggle between two peoples that both perceive themselves as （and indeed are） victims。 And it's an attempt to explain why Israel （and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict） inspires such extreme feelings-why it seems like Israel is the answer to "what is wrong with the world" for half the people in it， and "what is right with the world" for the other half。
Complete with engaging illustrations by Christopher Noxon，
Can We Talk About Israel？ is an easy-to-read yet penetrating and original look at the history and basic contours of one of the most complicated conflicts in the world。
"Can't you just explain the Israel situation to me？ In， like， 10 minutes or less？" This is the question Daniel Sokatch is used to answering on an almost daily basis。 As the head of the New Israel Fund， which is dedicated to equality and democracy for all Israelis， not just Jews， Sokatch is supremely well-versed on the Israeli conflict。
Can We Talk About Israel？ is the story of that conflict， and of why so many people feel so strongly about it without actually understanding it very well at all。 It is an attempt to grapple with a century-long struggle between two peoples that both perceive themselves as （and indeed are） victims。 And it's an attempt to explain why Israel （and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict） inspires such extreme feelings-why it seems like Israel is the answer to "what is wrong with the world" for half the people in it， and "what is right with the world" for the other half。
Complete with engaging illustrations by Christopher Noxon，
Can We Talk About Israel？ is an easy-to-read yet penetrating and original look at the history and basic contours of one of the most complicated conflicts in the world。
Reviews
Lirazel
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4。5 stars
Elyse Walters
，
Still reading — my Kindle recorded that I was done reading it …。 because I jumped to the end to read some notes。 I’m actually not done —-it’s very good though — accessible！ — would make a great discussion pick。 Which a few of us plan to do。UPDATE…。（forgive the length）…。This is a valuable- easy to follow - educational & enjoyable…。The type of book you want to put into the hands of everyone around the world。 Update review …。 Anyone who wants to read this book， and join a book discussion—here on G Still reading — my Kindle recorded that I was done reading it …。 because I jumped to the end to read some notes。 I’m actually not done —-it’s very good though — accessible！ — would make a great discussion pick。 Which a few of us plan to do。UPDATE…。（forgive the length）…。This is a valuable- easy to follow - educational & enjoyable…。The type of book you want to put into the hands of everyone around the world。 Update review …。 Anyone who wants to read this book， and join a book discussion—here on Goodreads， everyone is welcome。 It will be very informal-no rules-and a little fun。 Bruce Katz will set up a discussion group for us （thanks Bruce）。Stacey B。 sent me this link:https//www。sixthan-di。org/event/daniel-sokatch The link allows anyone who wants to listen to the online talk by the author on Nov。 8th 7:30 PT。 （price is $6 - pay online）“Both Israelis and Palestinians have invested a great deal of energy and innovation in trying to strengthen their claim to the land by denying that as the other”。“The challenge of the place of Israel’s Arab citizens in Israeli society goes right to the heart of the unresolved nature of what Israel is meant to be”。Now for an update review: Goodreads member *Linden*， was the first review I read — （clear， short， and ‘right on’）。 I’m sure she speaks to everyone who reads of this book: “Written in a friendly readable style， it is a very evenhanded look at Israel’s history， it’s politics， and its relation with the land and the Palestinian people。 There is no doubt that the region has some complicated politics， but this respectful look at all the parties involved is a must-read for any open-minded reader interested in history or current affairs”。 — thank you *Linden*！ I knew there was something refreshingly interesting about Daniel Sokatch when I heard him being interviewed on CNN…。。 after all the hullabaloo hit the news about Sally Rooney declining to sell translation rights to an Israeli publisher。 （I felt very unsettled）。 The beginning of Daniel’s book —was very relatable。 Ever been to a rock ‘n’ roll floor/pillow/sitting/reclining Seder— a non-traditional Jewish Seder with your political family and friends？ Why is this night different from all others？？…。I have …。。The beginning introduction of Daniel’s book had me saying…YES， yes… I repeat …。YES！Introduction excerpt: “Have you ever found yourself at a dinner party when the topic of Israel came up， and you wanted to flee to another room？” “I feel your pain。 I’m often asked， can’t you just explain the Israel situation to me in， like， ten minutes or less？ People want to know， they want to understand， and they want me to wrap it up before their entrées arrive。 This book will take more than 10 minutes to read， but it won’t be a daunting， intimidating undertaking。 It will be， I hope， interesting and engaging， and after you’ve read it， you’ll be able to hold your own and any Israel conversation， at any dinner party”。 IsraelI was ready for the ride…。and excited to read this book — a buddy read — with Goodreads buddy Stacey B。 ……now open to everyone who wants to join。 🙂Linden already gave us the nuts and bolts - of what to expect …。。 …。we will go deeper into specifics in the group discussions…。So - I’ll add just a few tidbits:PART 1… The author looks at how we got to where we are today in regards to Israel。 He defined some of the key terms and familiarize ourselves with a story of Israel as well as the geography， history， and contours of the conflict。 PART 2…Daniel takes us deeper into the most important and often contentious and emotionally loaded issues that define Israel and the challenges it faces today。 Questions to contemplate:…。what is the evangelist Christian obsession with Israel？…。what is the relationship between the two largest Jewish communities in the world: Israel and United States？ …。why are there so many land mines when it comes to talking about， and criticizing Israel and it’s policies？…。what does it mean for a country that calls itself a Jewish state to have a non-Jewish minority that makes them citizens？ …。how can a country that considers itself a democracy guaranteeing equality for all citizens even describe itself as a state that belongs only to one particular class of those citizens？ …。would a two state solution suddenly become more appealing to Israelis？ Would it be too late？…。what is the purpose of the BDS movement？ What do those in favor say vs。 those who oppose it say？ …。is criticism of Israel anti-Semitic？ No。 （except when it is）。 Just being anti-Zionist make you anti-Semitic？ No。 （except when it is）。…。 Since Palestinians no longer care for a two state solution because they do not believe one will ever come to pass， their demand is ‘one person， one vote’。 How would Israel， liberal American Jews， the United States， and international community respond to an organize movement making this demand？ How long would status quo of occupation and disenfranchisement last if this were the official Palestinian position？ These are just ‘some’ of the questions that the author examines。A QUESTION I have…。 “Why was Palestinian left off the books title？ Another question I have…（believing that Israelis and Palestinians alike， should have equal rights）， with a strong emotional ‘pro-Israel’ stand…。（a growing awareness that this too is - me - is part of the problem）， how am I do be…。and what is my role as An American liberal Jew （with first cousins， nephews and nieces all living in Israel - and my own emotional attachment to Israel （directly affected by being in Israel during the Yom Kippur War）， …。can I trust myself to have a balanced and nuanced position when it comes to the conflicts between Jews and Palestinian？ It’s an honest question— one I may be criticized just by having the question。 So……。much is covered in Daniel’s book。 He does an excellent job sticking with the facts。 Daniel didn’t engage in propaganda。 （But he comes with his own perspectives） > Both sides - “two peoples”， “both with legitimate connections and claims to the land， who have been victimized by the outside world， each other， and themselves。 It is a conflict about land and also about memory and legitimacy; about the right to exist and also about the right to self-determination。 It is about survival and justice。 It is about competing narratives understood by their adherents to be singularly ‘true’。 These narratives are fueled not only by lived experiences， but also by stories and religious traditions and family and media consumption and political persuasions—and by various degrees of ignorance， willful or otherwise， I believe that’s the biggest obstacle to resolving conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is not a lack of political imagination， but a lack of political will”。 Lots more covered - but brilliantly written for REAL PEOPLE to understand…。（could be a great book to teach from - with our High School kids around the world）。 Other topics covered: “The Lexicon of the Conflict” at the back of the book was very helpful。 The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel， Diaspora， Druze， Fatah， Gaza， the West Bank， the Six-Day War， the Yom Kippur War— The shocking and surprise attack。NOTE…I was on Kibbutz Gesher at the time - sent to stay in a bomb shelter for about 10 days）， Palestinian Authority， Zionism， Golan Heights， the Syria and Galilee region， settlements， an understanding of ‘Greater Land of Israel’， Green Line， Nakba， Hamas， Intifada， IDF Israel Defense forces， Oslo Accords， democracy， suicide bombings， Jerusalem （East and West）， the Old City， Knesset， Palestinian Liberation Organization，Israel Prime Minister Yasser Arafat （The history， his character， the assassination， and eulogy） >> NOTE … I was so moved by the granddaughters eulogy of her grandfather。 VERY BEAUTIFUL。 Road map for peace， Temple Mount， Israel’s war of independence （catastrophe for the Palestinians）， ‘The Suez Crisis’ often referred to as the Second Arab-Israeli War， （Israelis call this the Sinai War）， Battles initiated by Egyptian president Nasser， ‘State of Palestine’， Lebanon， AND MORE…。BUT…。THIS BOOK IS EASY TO FOLLOW…。 …。。it’s incredibly informative —easier to comprehend than most books ‘about Israel’ — （wonderful conversational intimate styling）。 Even the graphic cartoon inserts are helpful）…So…。with history comes demonstrations， protest， strikes， riots， major wars， ongoing bombings and friction， violence， many soldiers and local residents killed on both sides: Palestinians and Jews…。PACKED FILLED with complex issues， …。NOTHING IS SIMPLE WHEN IT COMES TO ISRAEL 。。。more
Andrew
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For history fans， those who are curious， and just because。Well documented， researched， and written history of the Arab/Israeli conflict。Easy to read because of the writers gift with words。
Faith
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Review coming soon
Ashley Joshi
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I’m honestly not sure how to review this as I’ve never read a book like this。 It is completely out of my comfort zone， but I am glad I read it and I have definitely learned a lot。 History has never been my forte and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict has always been I have been afraid to ask about since I feel like everyone around me knows whats up and I somehow missed the boat。 This book was written in a conversational tone and did a great job of summarizing the history of the land and of the peo I’m honestly not sure how to review this as I’ve never read a book like this。 It is completely out of my comfort zone， but I am glad I read it and I have definitely learned a lot。 History has never been my forte and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict has always been I have been afraid to ask about since I feel like everyone around me knows whats up and I somehow missed the boat。 This book was written in a conversational tone and did a great job of summarizing the history of the land and of the people。 I found myself empathizing with both groups during various chapters and came away with a better understanding of what is going on。 My heart definitely hurt more for one group， as I cant imagine how difficult it must be to have your land taken from you and then be treated like a second class person with no rights， especially in this day and age。 The last chapter “the case for hope” definitely gave me hope as the history covered in previous chapters definitely was a bit soul crushing。 When I first got this book I was curious as to why Palestine was not mentioned on the cover， and after finishing it I still feel like this omission was uncalled for。 I would still recommend reading it to get a better understanding for anyone who is curious to learn more and not sure who to ask。 。。。more
Israa
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Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy。 This book is entertaining and informative at the same time。 As a Palestinian， the author's account does not come from my point of view。 I didn't see the other side of the story described here。 Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy。 This book is entertaining and informative at the same time。 As a Palestinian， the author's account does not come from my point of view。 I didn't see the other side of the story described here。 。。。more
Billy Skibinski
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I really enjoyed this book。 There is so much history to try to cover and the author does an excellent job。 I wanted to read this book because as an 18 year old soldier in the US Army i was in fact a part of the MFO in Sinai。 At that time i was basically still a kid and really had no idea what i was doing there。 This book filled in a lot of the blanks for me。 I learned a lot from reading this and hope that someday soon there can be peace for our world。
Melissa
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This book gives a comprehensive history of Israel that was easy to follow and understand。 The “Lexicon of the Conflict” at the back of the book was incredibly helpful to clarify various terms and issues and I could see myself referring back to it in the future。 The author did a great job at sticking to the facts， providing information about both sides of the conflict。 He describes the complicated history and politics surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without favouring one side， over t This book gives a comprehensive history of Israel that was easy to follow and understand。 The “Lexicon of the Conflict” at the back of the book was incredibly helpful to clarify various terms and issues and I could see myself referring back to it in the future。 The author did a great job at sticking to the facts， providing information about both sides of the conflict。 He describes the complicated history and politics surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without favouring one side， over the other。 I am so grateful for honest books like this that help to educate us， and allow us to really understand both sides of a conflict that has no easy solution。 。。。more
Linden
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I knew some of the history of Israel， but this book clarified the so much for me。 Written in a friendly readable style， it is a very evenhanded look at Israel's history， its politics， and its relation with the land and the Palestinian people。 There is no doubt that the region has some complicated politics， but this respectful look at all of the parties involved is a must-read for any open-minded reader interested in history or current affairs。 Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this ARC。 I knew some of the history of Israel， but this book clarified the so much for me。 Written in a friendly readable style， it is a very evenhanded look at Israel's history， its politics， and its relation with the land and the Palestinian people。 There is no doubt that the region has some complicated politics， but this respectful look at all of the parties involved is a must-read for any open-minded reader interested in history or current affairs。 Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this ARC。 。。。more
Collette Powers Knight
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I was so thankful to receive an advanced copy of this book！ My young adult kids have been following the news and asked my husband， who received quite a bit of historical training on this topic， what was the issue with Israel？ I read this book on our family road trip and frequently stopped to share information and what I learned with them。 The author did a fabulous job breaking down the political， religious， and human rights issues using analogies， examples， and simple easy to understand language I was so thankful to receive an advanced copy of this book！ My young adult kids have been following the news and asked my husband， who received quite a bit of historical training on this topic， what was the issue with Israel？ I read this book on our family road trip and frequently stopped to share information and what I learned with them。 The author did a fabulous job breaking down the political， religious， and human rights issues using analogies， examples， and simple easy to understand language。 This book should be required reading for all to understand better that there are no easy solutions。 While I can see this book easily being a best seller， I can also see that it will be controversial for some。 But history is history， whether it be good， bad， or ugly。 Thank you for taking my blinders off so that I could form a more intelligent evidenced based opinion regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict。 。。。more
Tamzen
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If you have heard or seen anything about Israel and Palestine over the course of your lifetime and wondered， "how did it get this way？" or， "Why is this happening？" and then immediately got overwhelmed while doing online research， then this is the book for you。 Sokatch writes succinctly and plainly so that even if you have no previous knowledge on the conflict， by the end of the book， you will have a better understanding without feeling like everything was flying over your head。 On top of that， If you have heard or seen anything about Israel and Palestine over the course of your lifetime and wondered， "how did it get this way？" or， "Why is this happening？" and then immediately got overwhelmed while doing online research， then this is the book for you。 Sokatch writes succinctly and plainly so that even if you have no previous knowledge on the conflict， by the end of the book， you will have a better understanding without feeling like everything was flying over your head。 On top of that， the book felt very impartial， as Sokatch didn't make a case for supporting one way or the other。 Instead， Sokatch laid out every fact and detail and remarked on how grey the whole conflict is， giving you both the good and bad。 The book is divided into two parts: the first， a history， from Biblical accounts all the way to 2020; the second， discussing various talking points on why people get so up-in-arms when talking about the conflict。 Personally， I was thoroughly engaged throughout the book， but especially in reading the history portion。 Growing up， in classes all the way through college， even in "World History"， you get a very quick look at Israel， and how your country ties into it。 But this book gives you a deep dive into Israel's history， and then how other nations tie into it， rather than the reverse you're used to。 It was fascinating and eye-opening， especially as to how much has really gone on without me ever realizing it， even while I was alive （and I'm not that old！） The second part was helpful in understanding a bit more of why certain people pick certain sides in the United States， and how politics around the world tie in to it all。I am especially grateful to have read this book， as in the middle of my read， violence broke out between Israel and Palestine。 Reading this book gave me more insight as to what was going on， definitions for things like Hamas， and a better grasp on the area （the area of Israel is the size of New Jersey-I always thought much larger！） I feel like the author took what could be a whole semester's worth of class and condensed it down into something accessible for anyone。 I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about Israel and Palestine！Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Bandit
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What？ No reviews？ Does no one want to have the Israel conversation？ I mean， sure it’s controversial， but it’s so interesting。 Ok， guess I’m the first to rate and review this， very good， then， I’m glad to help get this book the attention and audience it so absolutely deserves。 I was actually able to have an intelligent informed conversation about Israel prior to reading this book based on having taken an excellent Middle East class and doing other reading and following the news。 But the thing ab What？ No reviews？ Does no one want to have the Israel conversation？ I mean， sure it’s controversial， but it’s so interesting。 Ok， guess I’m the first to rate and review this， very good， then， I’m glad to help get this book the attention and audience it so absolutely deserves。 I was actually able to have an intelligent informed conversation about Israel prior to reading this book based on having taken an excellent Middle East class and doing other reading and following the news。 But the thing about knowledge and information is that there’s always more to be had。 And this book provided that amply。 It even had drawings， very good ones， from minimalist outline like sketches to excellent portraiture。 The thing is my knowledge of Israel’s past， facts and politics went up to approximately the beginning of Netanyahu’s reign and since then the country has taken a critical turn to the right， following the terrifying global nationalistic trend of recent years and this book covered all of that。 So now I’m educated…and saddened。 But that’s politics for you。 You can’t be informed and happy or， you know， that thing they say about ignorance… But whether you had some foreknowledge of Israel or none， this book will get you up to speed。 It’s an excellent comprehensive primer on the country’s origins and it’s tumultuous existence。 The author is someone who really knows what he’s talking about， having lived there and having been actively involved with it as the CEO of the New Israel Fund。 The man is used to talking about Israel， knows how to do it and can write about it eloquently， eruditely and accessibly。 And boy does he have his work cut out for him。 Israel isn’t just one of those divisive subjects that make you want to avoid politics in polite company， it’s also an insoluble political puzzle。 A question with no right answer。 The author， to his credit， tries to provide answers stated with tact as personal opinions while presenting the readers with a multitude of perspectives， but in the end it seems （more so the more I learn about it） that there is no end to it all。 Two nations both convinced of their right to belong， unwilling or unable to satisfactory compromise。 The last four years have been spectacular for Netanyahu， propped up by his best American buddy， but now things have changed。 And （related or not） The New York Times has had reports of worse violence in years in Israel the last few days。 It’s difficult to hope for a happy resolution， based on the ample empirical evidence offered in the book。 The author tries to give you a positive ending， featuring testimonials of individuals who are fighting for unity and trying to make a positive change， but as nice as that is， it seems profoundly insignificant against the sheer immensity of the conflict。 The interesting thing is that whatever you want to accuse Israel of， it’s nothing new， it’s just more recent。 America has been found on displacing and killing the native people and everyone seems to be ok with it， made Thanksgiving out of it。 It seems that in politics as in life， if you’re large， loud and obnoxious enough， you’ll be forgiven。 Israel， a country the size of New Jersey， remains as controversial as ever and has had more than a fair share of wars， opprobrium and difficulties for a place that’s only been established in 1948。 But that’s just yet some of the yet another one sided Israel conversation， albeit now， thanks to this book， more informed than ever。 This book is smartly laid out， first talking facts then connecting them to the grand scheme of global politics。 You will absolutely be able to talk about Israel after finishing it， so fait accompli for the author。 I’m very glad I read this book。 Recommended。 Thanks Netgalley。This and more at https://advancetheplot。weebly。com/ 。。。more
Andréa
，