The 51 Day War: Ruin and Resistance in Gaza Hardcover – June 30, 2015

by Max Blumenthal (Author)

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On July 8, 2014, Israel launched air strikes on Hamas-controlled Gaza, followed by a ground invasion. The ensuing fifty-one days of war left more than 2,200 people dead, the vast majority of whom were Palestinian civilians, including over 500 children. During the assault, at least 10,000 homes were destroyed and, according to the United Nations, nearly 300,000 Palestinians were displaced. Max Blumenthal was in Gaza and throughout IsraelPalestine during what he argues was an entirely avoidable catastrophe. In this explosive work of intimate reportage, Blumenthal reveals the harrowing conditions and cynical deceptions that led to the ruinous warand tells the human stories.

Blumenthal brings the battles in Gaza to life, detailing the ferocious clashes that took place when Israel's military invaded the besieged strip. He radically shifts the discussion around a number of highly contentious issues: the use of civilians as human shields by Israeli forces, the arbitrary targeting of Palestinian civilians, and the radicalization of Israeli public officials and top military personnel. Amid the rubble of Gaza's border regions, Blumenthal recorded the testimonies from scores of residents, documenting potential war crimes committed by the Israeli armed forces while carefully examining the military doctrine that led to them.

More than a chronicle of war and devastation, The 51 Day War is an urgent warning that the aftermath of the conflict has made another military assault on Gaza almost inevitable. And while the people of Gaza will once again prove their resilience, the world can no longer just stand aside and watch.

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Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Nation Books
Publication date

June 30, 2015
Dimensions

6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-10

156858511X
ISBN-13

978-1568585116
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] heart-wrenching narrative...Blumenthal, who was on the ground for part of the offensive, bore witness to the loss of life, shelter, and possessionsbut never hopeamong Gaza's Palestinian residents...The result is a harrowing, transfixing narrative of a people's ordeal that will provoke and challenge." Publishers Weekly

"An alarming report on Israel's devastating 2014 attack on Gaza.... Explosive, pull-no-punches reporting that is certain to stir controversy." Kirkus

The 51 Day War lays bare some of the names, faces and experiences behind [the] statisticsBlumenthal offers an unembellished look at the misery on the ground in the Gaza Strip during Israel's Operation Protective Edge in 2014.” In These Times

Max Blumenthal's unflinching book on Gaza war must not be ignoredThe 51-Day War is the first account by a US journalist of an assault that dropped almost the same tonnage of explosives on Gaza as that on Hiroshima.” Electronic Intifada

The 51 Day War isa tribute to the resilience of a people facing an indescribable reality. ... Whether reading this book with an advanced knowledge of the history of Israel-Palestine or as an introduction to the conflict, The 51 Day War will leave you better informed and filled with an unquenchable, and very angry, thirst for justice and equality in Palestine and beyond.” Muftah.org

"As we would expect from one of the finest and most intrepid journalists working in America today, this meticulous, first-hand report on The Fifty One Day War will stand as the definitive account of the man-made catastrophe so cruelly inflicted on the men, women and children of Gaza in the summer of 2014.” Andrew Cockburn, author of Kill Chain: The Rise of the High Tech Assassins

"Max Blumenthal has spent the last decade transforming himself into one of the most vital voices in journalism today, always speaking truth to power with fearlessness and integrity. As with his previous books, The 51 Day War is sure to be talked about for years to come.” Reza Aslan, author of Zealot and No god but God

"Max Blumenthal audaciously takes in-your-face, on-the-ground journalism into the realm of geopolitics.” Juan Cole, Informed Comment, author of The New Arabs and Engaging the Muslim World

About the Author

Max Blumenthal is the author of Republican Gomorrah, a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller, and Goliath, winner of the Lannan Foundation Cultural Freedom Notable Book Award. His writing and video documentaries have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Daily Beast, The Nation, The Guardian, The Independent Film Channel, The Huffington Post, Salon.com, Al Jazeera English and many others. Follow him on Twitter @maxblumenthal.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Nation Books; First Edition (June 30, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 156858511X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1568585116
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #662,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #446 in African Politics
- #895 in Middle Eastern Politics
- #980 in Israel & Palestine History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.8 141 ratings

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Shirlie M. Slater

Future voters should be aware of where the horrible bombs and missiles developed by our military/industrial complex go ...

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2016

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This book should be required reading for every high school senior. Future voters should be aware of where the horrible bombs and missiles developed by our military/industrial complex go and what horrible crimes are committed with these weapons of mass destruction. The descriptions of war crimes and crimes committed with the Israel Defense Force against the civilian population of Gaza are very hard to take but must be acknowledged. Of course one of the most important issues established by this book is the fact that this was not a 50 day war but a 51 day war the first day being the breaking of the cease fire by Israel when it assassinated 7 members of Hamas, provoking rockets, and unleashing the IDF massacre of thousands of civilians including hundreds of babies and the maiming of thousands including the maiming of 5,000 kids. The book should be read in conjunction with videos and documentaries of the massacre of the refugees from apartheid Israel residing in the Shejaiya refugee camp in Gaza. The video of the boy covered all over with shrapnel wounds at the beginning of the film probably documents the damage done by an American DIME bomb. American white phosphorus bombs burn to the bone. American flechette missiles shred.

3 people found this helpful

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Scientist 1 of 5

Essential reading - fact-based account of the 2014 Israeli assault on Gaza

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2015

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This slim, precise, factual account of Israel's brutal 2014 assault on Gaza ranks high among the most important books of the year. This is eyewitness journalism - Blumenthal was present in Gaza and much of the material is first-hand observation - in the great tradition of journalism once so admired and now so seldom practiced in corporate media, backed up by thorough research and informed perspective. It is on the one hand a precise and detailed account of Israel's attack on the Palestinian population held captive in Gaza, in which at least 2,104 Palestinians were killed by Israeli bombs, missiles and bullets, according to UN figures, including some 495 children; and on the other hand an account of the political manipulations by which this assault on a largely undefended civilian population was presented to the world as if it were a defensive operation, with Israel bizarrely recast as imperiled victim. As the account of a tragedy it is painful; but as a source of essential facts and a corrective to the blizzard of Israel-slanted propaganda that dominated American media during the event, it is essential reading. It also continues the progression of Blumenthal's two previous books, Goliath and Republican Gomorrah, signalling a welcome return to uncompromised, direct observational journalism. We need more. The 51 Day War: Ruin and Resistance in Gaza

7 people found this helpful

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Denny Cormier

Like Max I spent a good many hours at the ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2015

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I was living and working in Gaza City during the 51 Day Israeli attack on Gaza in 2014. Like Max I spent a good many hours at the hospitals and in the villages and met hundreds if not thousands of people who were impacted by those attacks. The destruction in the border villages is just as Max describes it. Perhaps it may be even worse. This is certainly the best report that I have seen, and I can corroborate its accuracy and detail. I met and knew many of the Palestinians that Max interviewed, and he has recorded their stories as I heard them as well. And his descriptions of the war and its aftermath are spot on. I have recommended this book to all of my friends in the social media world, and I can definitely recommend it to anyone reading this review. Max is an accurate and detailed reporter but he also brings to reporting what some of us call the "globalized heart". I met Max in Gaza during the war - and I was honored.

25 people found this helpful

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Carlos Aguilar

Well researched, poignant account of a great crime

Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2015

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To those wary of Blumenthal's reputation as left-wing polemicist, you should know this book is 99% facts, 1% opinion. You needn't hold any particular ideology to realize that too many innocent people were knowingly harmed by Israel, and that there is a term for its actions in Gaza --war crimes. Although you can't get through this book without feeling a bit depressed, I believe that thanks to social media and brave reporting from people like Blumenthal, that Israel was surprised and somewhat thwarted by the pushback it got from the international community. We were collectively horrified by the words and images pouring out of Gaza. Much like the effect that smart phone cameras have had on abusive cops, Israel is now on notice that its atrocities will come to light. Hopefully this will serve as a check on their barbarism.

37 people found this helpful

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Steve Byrne

Superb book, detailing the strength and the suffering of Gaza's civilian population ...

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2015

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Superb book, detailing the massacre of Gaza's civilian population by the IOF (Israeli Occupation Forces), and all of it's attendant war crimes against those whose ethnicity renders them, in the eyes of Israel, as superfluous.
Mainstream U.S media doesn't want to review this book because it depicts the hard truth, and when it comes to any discussion of Israel in the U.S, the truth is considered anathema, and generally offensive to the interests of the powerful Israel lobby.
Max Blumenthal casts a straightforward and sombre eye on how this latest massacre played out, and through on-the-ground reportage and interviews with those in the firing line - Gaza's civilian population - reveals the utter disregard for the lives of those people regardard by Israel as a demographic threat, and as an obstacle to the Zionist dream of ethnic purity in all of historic Palestine.

3 people found this helpful

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Old professor

Epic book about the facts of the Gaza slaughter previously suppressed by Israeli Hasbara.

Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2015

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I enjoyed Max's other two books so much that I bought two copies of this one, so that I can lend it out to friends. What a breath of fresh air to read a really accurate description of this outrageous attack, yet again on Gaza by the Israelis. This book has copious footnotes and the truth it relates cannot be challenged by any rational person. When we consider that during this 51 day Israeli attack the IDF killed over 500 innocent Palestinian children in Gaza versus one child killed in Israel by the Palestinians, we must realize the true infamy of the Israeli slaughter and the overreaction of the IDF to the fireworks launched by Hamas towards Israel. The long-term blockade of Gaza by the IDF has been entirely responsible for the deteriorating conditions in Gaza and the inhumane conditions under which the population endures and struggles against the Israeli oppressors.

55 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Gooey

Great read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2016

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Great book

One person found this helpful

figuredisfondo

A must read

Reviewed in Italy on August 2, 2015

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If you are interested in human rights or in social justice and you are tiered of the mainstream hasbara-driven coverage of the middle east this book is a must read.
Blumenthal is the Robert Risk of our generation

Jim Miles

First hand account of Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

Reviewed in Canada on August 11, 2015

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Working with both the broad historical background and first hand on the ground experience, Blumenthal presents a vivid and heart wrenching account of the 2014 attack on Gaza. This the story censored western mainstream media working with the Israeli government, a necessary read for all interested in and affected by this war, which directly or indirectly includes everyone.

5 people found this helpful

JC Rolz

This book, which reaffirms my knowledge of Israeli atrocities ...

Reviewed in Canada on December 9, 2017

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This book, which reaffirms my knowledge of Israeli atrocities, has simply solidified my resolve to spend my money ethically.

One person found this helpful

Al Friesen

Utterly depressing, but absolutely necessary

Reviewed in Canada on August 12, 2015

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First, I'd like to point out that about 45% of this book consists of footnotes. I read the Kindle edition, and once I reached 55%, the content of the book was over. This is an extremely well-researched and well-documented book.

It's difficult to put into words my thoughts on this book. It's a document of the 51-day "war" that took place in Gaza in 2014. The key takeaway from me is Israel's policy of disproportionate response--equivalent to using a nuclear bomb to kill a mosquito. Whereas thousands of people in Gaza died last year, 70% of whom were civilians, only a handful of Israelis died. The book documents civilian apartments, media towers, and shopping malls that were destroyed because... well, there was no real reason given by the Israeli government aside from "there are probably terrorists there".

On one side, the Gazans are hemmed in by Israel who routinely refuses to allow Gazans to travel out of their country. On the other is Egypt which maintains a border crossing that is frequently closed. And, on the sea, there's the Israeli navy who routinely fires upon fishing vessels who go further out than 3 miles--even though the agreement that ended the war last year stipulated that Palestinian fishermen were allowed to go 6 miles off-shore.

Drones routinely penetrate Palestinian airspace, as Blumenthal notes on more than one occasion. If Palestine sent drones over Israel, what would happen? Would they be summarily shot down? Would it be an invitation for Israel to launch more rockets into Palestine?

Blumenthal makes the comparison between Palestine and a SuperMax prison. After reading the book, I can certainly see the similarities. I read this book after I read Ilan Pappe's *The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine*, a superlative book that traces the bloody foundation of the state of Israel.

I grew up thinking that Israel was in the right, that they had the right to defend their territory--but the policy of disproportionate response, killing hundreds for every Israeli citizen that dies, transforms them from victims into perpetrators. What Israel is doing to its neighbours is no different from what... well, perhaps historical comparisons at this point are unnecessary, but after reading the book, certain comparisons spring to mind.

5 people found this helpful

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