In this original and compelling work, Time
magazine Jerusalem bureau chief Rees explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the perspective of the internal divisions within each society, encapsulating them within lives they have affected. In exploring the origins of the Islamic movement Hamas and its competition with secular nationalist groups for the hearts and minds of the Palestinians, Rees talks to the family of a Palestinian killed by fellow Arabs on orders of the Palestinian Authority. He probes the conflicting loyalties of an Israeli-Arab politician fighting for equality in the Jewish state. On the Israeli-Jewish side, Rees interviews a psychiatrist treating elderly Holocaust survivors who had been mistreated by a Zionist establishment ashamed of their "weakness" in the face of oppression. He also profiles the ultra-Orthodox, anti-Zionist Neturei Karta movement and its open hostility to the Israeli state. Throughout these vignettes, Rees provides insight into the role that art and artists can play in humanizing the conflict, and does not allow the brutal nature of the conflict to blind him to the dark humor of both peoples. His deep sympathy for both sides infuses his book with real vitality. Agent, Joy Harris.
(On sale Nov. 2)
