The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World

In this far-ranging history, Avi Shlaim analyses that question in remarkable detail, tracing the shifting policies of Israel toward the Palestinians and the Arab world at large. Herzl, he writes, followed a policy that consciously sought to enlist the great powers--principally Britain and later the United States--while dismissing indigenous claims to sovereignty; after all, Herzl argued, "the Arab problem paled in significance compared with the Jewish problem because the Arabs had vast spaces outside Palestine, whereas for the Jews, who were being persecuted in Europe, Palestine constituted the only possible haven". This policy later changed to a stance of confrontation against the admittedly hostile surrounding Arab powers, especially Syria, Jordan and Egypt; this militant stance was a source of controversy in the international community, and it also divided Israelis into hawk and dove factions. The intransigence of those hawks, Shlaim shows, served to alienate Israel and made it possible for the Palestine Liberation Organisation and other Arab nationalist groups to enlist the support of the great powers that Herzl had long before courted. Both sides, in turn, had eventually to face the "historic compromise" that led to the present peace in the Middle East--a peace that, the author suggests, may not endure. --Gregory McNamee

Reader Reviews:

Detailed, novel, but profoundly coloured by his anti-Zionism (1/8 people found this helpful)

As one would expect from a radical revisionist historian Shlaim has reputation to make by subverting the orthodox. Many of his observations are detailed and interesting - and purport to show how many opportunities Israel has missed to negotiate with its neighbours. Since the author was present in 1967, and plainly has an intimate familiarity with his source documents - his writing naturally therefore seems authoritative.
Nevertheless, I had a constant sense of hearing only half the narrative whilst reading the book. As though his determination to revise the history he was determined to change had blinkered him to the realities of the amply documented Arab intent to utterly annihilate Israel, in 67 particularly.

His leading participation in the 2005 Oxford Union debate 'Is Zionism today the real enemy of the Jews?' marks him out as a vocal and active anti-Zionist - and therefore hardly well qualified to write an objective history.

Essential Reading for Anyone Interested in the Conflict (12/13 people found this helpful)

Books on the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict tend to reflect the prejudices of the author more than they show what actually occured. However this book, although not perfect, is the closest thing I have read to a balanced account of the conflict.

This book is a fairly comprehensive diplomatic summary of the conflict that covers the period before the foundation of the state of Israel through to the election of Ehud Barak as Isarel's prime minister. Shlaim is an Israeli-Jew who believes in a two state solution to the conflict, and this comes across in his writing. He criticises both Israel and the Arab states when they squandered opportunities to achieve the solution Shlaim would prefer to see.

There are books which focus on specific aspects of the conflict which are perhaps more useful to understanding the conflict than this, but this is probably the best account currently available which covers the all the Arab-Israeli wars. However while you should definitely read this book, there are a few things which you should be aware of.

This book is primarily a diplomatic history of Israel. This means it goes into great detail on Israel's foreign policy. This means that it can sometimes get bogged down in the details of negotiations. It also means that it focuses more on pre-war and post-war diplomacy more than on the actual wars themselves.

The books main flaw however is that it views the conflict largely based on Israel's viewpoint. Shlaim is sometimes supportive of Israel, and often critical, but his focus is generally Israel. Since this is a diplomatic history, and the Palestinians are without a state, they recieve little attention.

Due, perhaps, to his personal views on the best outcome of the conflict, Shlaim is not as critical as he should be of the Oslo process. He ends the book hopeful about the "peace process" and Barak, though subsequent events have showed this optimism to be misplaced.

However despite these complaints, this book is a must read. No one book is enough to understand the conflict, but this one is as good a starting point as you are likely to find.

Necessary for students, but not laymen (5/17 people found this helpful)

This book is not the definitive history of the Israel-Arab confilct. It ishowever incredibly useful to read if you are a student (formally orinformally) of the region. As Israeli history is still vehemently foughtover, as well as the territory itself, Shlaim's book is one of MANY thatneeds to be read and critically analysed. Read it, and then proceed byreading Efraim Karsh, just to name one contemporary author that might giveyou an alternative view. Because Shlaim's book is exhausting (see otherreview on this page), the reader might feel it is also exhaustive. Farfrom it.

exhaustive but exhausting (21/22 people found this helpful)

Other reviewers have listed the strengths of this book so I will refrain from repeating their comments here. Suffice as to say Shlaim's research is impeccable and he challenges many myths central to the founding of the State of Israel and the claims of many 'mainsteam' Middle East commentaries. Particularly impressive are his early chapters dealing with the dispossession of the Palestinians and the lost diplomatic opportunities resulting from Isreal's 'iron wall' stance towards the Arab states.

However, where I would dissent from other reviewers is that I found the book's momentum became bogged down in the second half in a thicket of irrelevant detail. Every single diplomatic initiative and exchange, great and small, is described exhaustively. The most insignificant aspects of meetings are noted e.g. chapter 11 even describes the dining arrangements at a meeting attended by King Hussein of Jordan and Shimon Peres, and who did the washing up!. The upshot of all this pointless and tiresome clutter is that Schlaim's promised central narrative - the destructive consequences of the 'iron wall' doctrine of revisionist Zionism - gets lost along the way. This fine work of scholarship clearly would have benefited from improved editing. With footnotes it runs to over 640 pages.

Another major problem with the book is that its narrow diplomatic focus makes the Palestinians as 'a people', largely invisible players. Readers wanting a more rounded socio-economic approach, or one which deals with political events 'on the ground' would be advised to look to Edward Said, Ilan Pappe, Noam Chomsky or Baruch Kimmerling and Joel Migdal's work.

Action and reactions -we know so little of the truth (10/21 people found this helpful)

This book brings about the real story of the conflict in as much as for every action that one reads about in news, there are far more behind the scenes leading up to it. The same thing applies to reactions. The writer must be congratulated for also taking a far more humane view of the wheelings and dealings of Israeli politics. This is also a book about applied facts, along with human emotions, rather than scientific facts and figures alone which can be found elsewhere.

It is pityful to read such a book when one considers we elect politicans of the kind. Having read 6 books on the subject, as a concerned European I feel very dejected by all sides. Interestingly enough Ariel Sharon features very prominently in this book, even though it was written before his appointment as prime minister. To know that this book was out before the elections and to still vote for him shows the state of the region.

Once again, my highest rating for this book and its author for its depth of research and the strength to articulate as best it can the human feelings of the participants.

The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World

Avi Shlaim

Editorial Review: