Viz

Unveiled by Yasmine Mohammed

probably not exactly what you’re looking for but schama’s history of the jews is on my reading list

Amos Oz is a good starting point - A tale of love and darkness. He has some short essay pieces which are very powerful 

before I went to Israel for the first time I read the Oxford very short introduction which is good and Nev said was more balanced than he expected (he read it too) 

The Bible is a good primer.

The best books to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - https://on.ft.com/3FaaoPJ via @FT

The Amos Oz book is in that list

Enemies and Neighbours: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel 1917-2017 by Ian Black (2017)

A history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, timed for the 100th anniversary of the Balfour declaration, that has achieved the rare distinction of being acclaimed by both Israeli and Palestinian historians for its rigour and impartiality.

I read autobiographies of Golda Meir and Shimon Peres back to back. That helped to understand conflicts, but you would need a good book on the historical background to start with. For the last 20 years, then any of the FT books.

A peace to end all peace 

Conflicted Podcast.
 

ex Al Quaeda turned MI6 and an American film producer. Certainly gives a view on the wider situation. I would start from Season 1 as works through a lot. They definitely have their one views but it’s very detailed and gives history and background.

I’d like to read a cultural travelogue on what Gaza is really like

That sounds amazing, matterhorn tbf

a line in the sand is pretty accessible 4 the early c20th bit

tho it’s near a decade since i read it

For the cery ancient hostory, the shadow of the sword by holland

In a way, Gaza has something in common - both dense urban societies forged by flight from political change back in’49

yes both existed before then, but they were very different places 

Thanks everyone!

I'm reading the Attlee biography Citizen Clem.  It has some interesting background on Palestine/Israel as well as being good reference material for our next Prime Minister

He reminded Truman that both Churchill and Roosevelt had made promises about the issue to various Arab leaders in the course of the war – the breaking of which would ‘set aflame the whole Middle East’. Attlee confessed that an additional concern was the attitude of the 90 million Muslims in India, who were ‘easily inflamed’ by perceived slights against the Muslim world.41 The issue was ‘bristling with difficulty’, he added.

I've got a book - I think I've still got it - called The origins of the Arab-Israeli wars.

I should look it out and read it again.

Had been thinking of getting that Attlee book.

When once Churchill heard someone refer to ‘Silly old Mr Attlee’ he upbraided him  - ‘Mr Attlee is a great patriot’. They were close friends. 

No one in the current Labour Party is fit to lick his boots. 

Churchill was really a pragmatic and patriotic New Liberal who ended up in the Tory party when the Liberal party died.  Its no great surprise he had an affection for someone like Atlee. He remained close to former Liberal colleagues too.

I read the Wikipedia article (yes yes I know) on Jewish terrorism against the British mandatory authorities in the mid-late 40s last night. Interesting stuff