Prisoners of God: The Modern-Day Conflict of Arab and Jew

Abba Eban, Israel's foreign minister at the time of the 1967 Six-Day War, is quoted as saying that the one-sided nature of that war, ""with 100 percent victory for us and complete defeat for the Arabs,'' has made peace in the Middle East impossible. Smith contends that more blood has been spilled in the aftermath of the Six-Day War than as a result of any other modern-day conflict. The book, published on the 20th anniversary of Israel's occupation of the West Bank, is an even-handed, thoughtful appraisal of the political, diplomatic, military and psychological legacy of the '67 war. The emphasis is on the human dimension, especially the suspicion and animosity between the Israelis and Palestinians. Smith is a British foreign correspondent who covered the Middle East between 1984 and 1986, based in Jerusalem. Photos. (April)