Khalidi: The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood Reviewed by Philip S. KhouryJournal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 38, no. 1 (Autumn 2008), p. 89Recent Books The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood, by Rashid Khalidi. Boston: Beacon Press, 2007. xlii + 217 pages. Notes to p. 263. Acknowledgments to p. 266. Index to p. 281. $24.95 cloth; $15.00 paper.
Hochberg: In Spite of Partition: Jews, Arabs, and the Limits of Separatist Imagination Reviewed by Haim BresheethJournal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 38, no. 1 (Autumn 2008), p. 90Recent Books In Spite of Partition: Jews, Arabs, and the Limits of Separatist Imagination, by Gil Z. Hochberg. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2007. xiii + 141 pages. Notes to p. 165. Bibliography to p. 183. Index to p. 192. $35.00 cloth. Haim Bresheeth, professor of media and cultural studies at the University of East London, is co-editor of "The Conflict and Contemporary Visual Culture in Palestine Israel," Third Text 20, nos. 3-4, Oct. 2006; Cinema and Memory: Dangerous Liaisons [in Hebrew] (Jerusalem: Zalman Shazar Center, 2004); and The Gulf War and the New World Order (London: Zed Books, 1992).
Cook: Blood and Religion: The Unmasking of the Jewish and Democratic StateReviewed by Gil AnidjarJournal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 38, no. 1 (Autumn 2008), p. 91Recent Books
Blood and Religion: The Unmasking of the Jewish and Democratic State, by Jonathan Cook. London and Ann Arbor: Pluto Press, 2006. xiv + 179 pages. Appendix to p. 182. Notes to p. 208. Select Bibliography to p. 211. Index to p. 222. $85.00 cloth; $24.95 paper.
Bennis: Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Primer Reviewed by Adel Samara Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 38, no. 1 (Autumn 2008), p. 92Recent Books
Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Primer, by Phyllis Bennis. Northampton, MA: Olive Branch Press, 2007. ix + 185 pages. Index to p. 196. $10.00 paper.
Dr. Adel Samara is an economist living in Ramallah.
This section is part of a chronology begun in JPS 13, no. 3 (Spring 1984). Chronology dates reflect Eastern Standard Time (EST). For a more comprehensive overview of events related to the al-Aqsa intifada and of regional and international developments related to the peace process, see the Quarterly Update on Conflict and Diplomacy in this issue.
This section lists articles and reviews of books relevant to Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Entries are classified under the following headings: Reference and General; History (to 1948) and Geography; Palestinian Politics and Society; Jerusalem; Israeli Politics, Society, and Zionism; Arab and Middle Eastern Politics; International Relations; Law; Military; Economy, Society, and Education; Literature and Art; Book Reviews; and Reports Received.
UN Security Council Resolution 242 endorsed the "inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war" and called for "withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied" in the June 1967 war. Since then, a debate has raged over whether these provisions call for a complete Israeli withdrawal, a minor revision of borders, or license for Israel to retain sovereignty over some of the conquered lands. This article argues that the resolution must be read through the lens of international law. A principled legal interpretation clarifies 242's ambiguities on withdrawal and re-establishes the importance of universal rights to a just and durable peace in the Middle East.
This essay offers an assessment of the extent to which UNSC Resolution 242's procedural and substantive recommendations have facilitated a negotiated settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The historical record of each of the mechanisms of the Middle East peace process demonstrates that the mediation mechanism established in 242 was too feeble for the task assigned to it. The resolution's ambiguities and omissions further diminished its value as a tool of dispute resolution, creating confusion about what acceptance of 242 signified, encouraging hard bargaining by the parties, and denying leaders the political cover for necessary compromise.
This essay examines the consequences of the near-canonical status acquired over the years by UN Security Council Resolution 242. After tracing the evolution of the vision of peace seen to flow from 242, the essay explores the various ways in which the resolution has been read. In particular, the interpretation of Israel (backed by the United States) is examined, along with the balance of power factor. The essay concludes by suggesting that clinging to 242 as "canonical" inhibits clear-sighted thinking on new approaches that take cognizance of the greatly altered circumstances.
Israel takes the position that UN Security Council 242's call for a "just settlement of the refugee problem" does not require the repatriation of the Arabs displaced from Palestine in 1948. However, the background to the drafting of that phrase, reviewed in this article, suggests that this was in fact the intention of the resolution's drafters.