This is probably the most comprehensive work I have read on Palestine. If you want to understand the history and mechanisms through which Palestinian land has been broken up, hemmed in, regulated, and stolen, this is the best work of which I am aware. Like many works, this book provides a comprehensive history of Israeli acquisition of Palestinian lands. But it is unique amongst my readings in this field in that it uncovers the administrative means through which Palestinian lands have been progressively... there is really no other word for it than... stolen.
This book does a far better job of making sense of the plight of the Palestinians than other excellent works, like those of Noam Chomsky, Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said, Jimmy Carter, and Saree Makdisi. Chomsky probably does a better job of making the moral case against the actions of Israel than anyone else. Rashid Khalidi presents a scholarly case for the endurance of Palestinain identity. Edward Said fluently speaks of the inner experience of Palestinians and the mechanisms of cultural oppression. Jimmy Carter provides a holistic picture of the plight of the Palestinians and a comprehensive view of a roadmap for peace. And Saree Makdisi does a better job of explaining how conditions in the West Bank shape Palestinian lives. But Cook provides a more comprehensive view of how Israel has exploited the Palestinians, how it has effected their prospects for forging a state, and what we might expect of future Israeli administrations.
However, this is a work of journalism, from an award winning journalist from what I understand, but journalism nonetheless. The sources are typical of journalistic works, mostly Hebrew sources, and often governmental, but less filtered than what you might get from an academic. This means that it is harder to cite Cook with confidence. It appears to me that in uncovering multiple deceptive practices of multiple different Israeli governments, Cook has become a little too quick to assign motives. This is understandable. And of course, this is what a good reporter should get at, who is doing what and for what reasons. While no one would question the validity of such reporting on, say, Rwanda, there are many who demand more of scholarship on Israel. While I would recommend this to someone new to the issue, who is at least a little sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, I would not give it to an Israel-hawk, even though I am tempted by its comprehensiveness and conciseness.
One more thing: Cook has been accused by another reviewer of being an anti-Semite. Please be assured there is nothing in the book to warrant, or even provoke, such an accusation. Supporters of Israel will often throw around very strong language like this when they imagine an individual to be a threat to Israel. Whether or not they believe what they are saying, I am uncertain. What is certain is that if it were an intentional smear tactic it would be very successful. Supporters of Israeli oppression have managed to sideline many credible and respectable politicians and academics. However, the practice of branding opponents with inflammatory smears should itself should delegitimize its practitioners. They did the same thing with Jimmy Carter, when he wrote of Israeli abuses of Palestinians. This in spite of the fact that probably more than any other individual outside of Israel, Carter has been responsible for assuring Israeli security.
This work should be taken seriously and the arguments found therein taken up for further research by scholars. And we should salute Cook for his dedication to human rights.
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