Conflicts and Contradictions

Benvenisti, formerly Jerusalem's deputy mayor for Arab affairs, here offers a highly personal, controversial exploration of Israeli-Palestinian relations today. In a series of connected essays, he first examines the Zionist ethos of his generation's pioneer-parents and finds it embodies ""inherent contradictions'' that fail to provide guidelines for present-day conditions. He then describes the current era of ``conquest and occupation,'' both in ``polarized'' Jerusalemwhere the author lives among Palestinians who are at once ``neighbors and enemies''and along the West Bank. Benvenisti's mix of a personal perspective with broader analysis is intriguing, and his questioning of Zionist ideology and respect for Palestinian claims make this an unusual and provocative work. February 24