Product Description

Since the 1948 war which drove them from their homeland, the Palestinian people have consistently been denied the most basic democratic rights. Blaming The Victims shows how the historical fate of the Palestinians has been justified by spurious academic attempts to dismiss their claim to a home within the boundaries of historical Palestine and even to deny their very existence. Beginning with a thorough expose of the fraudulent assertions of Joan Peters concerning the indigenous inhabitants of Palestine prior to 1948, the book then turns to similar instances in Middle East research where the truth about the Palestinians has been systematically suppressed: from the bogus - though still widely believed - explanations of why so many Palestinians fled their homes in 1948, to today's distorted propaganda about PLO terrorism. The volume also includes sharp critiques of the wide consensus in the USA which supports Israel and its territorial ambitions while maintaining total silence about the competing reality of the Palestinians. Contributors include Norman G. Finkelstein, Peretz Kidron, Noam Chomsky, G. W. Bowerstock, Ibrahim Abu-Loghod, Rashid Khalidi, Janet L. Abu-Lughod, Muhammed Hallaj, and Elia Zureik.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #113258 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
"the wide-ranging scope and demythologising structure of Blaming The Victims makes it especially relevant at the present time when the actions of the state of Israel seem to contradict received opinion as to its nature. The book provides a great quantity of information, analyses it convincingly and, through an impressive body of notes on primary and secondary literature, points the reader in the direction of further information." Middle East International "These forcefully argued treatises will be as enlightening as they are disturbing for anyone with an interest in Middle East Politics." ALA Booklist

From the Back Cover
Since the 1948 war which drove them from their homeland, the Palestinian people have consistently been denied the most basic democratic rights. Blaming the Victims shows how the historical fate of the Palestinians has been justified by spurious academic attempts to dismiss their claim to a home within boundaries of historical Palestine and even to deny their very existence.

Beginning with a thorough expose of the fraudulent assertions of Joan Peters concerning the indigenous inhabitants of Palestine prior to 1948, the book then turns to similar instances in Middle East research where the truth about the Palestinians has been systematically suppressed: from the bogus - though still widely believed - explanations of why so many Palestinians flex their homes in 1948, to today's distorted propaganda about PLO terrorism. The volume also includes sharp critiques of the wide consensus in the USA which supports Israel and its territorial ambitions while maintaining total silence about the competing reality of the Palestinians.

'The wide-ranging scope and demythologising structur of Blaming the Victims makes it especially relevant at the present time when the actions of the state of Israel seem to contradict received opinion as to its nature. The book provides a great quantity of information, analyses it convincingly and, through an impressive body of notes on primary and secondary literature, points the reader in the direction of further information.' Middle East International

About the Author
Edward Said is Parr Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, New York. Christopher Hitchens is a columnist for Vanity Fair and the Nation.

Customer Reviews

Zionist Myths Debunked - In Style.
Zionists attempt to legitimise Israel and delegitimise the Palestinian cause via a series of myths. This book takes just some of these myths, that have often been backed by supposed scholarship, and debunks them. The book is a series of essays. The following are, I think, the highlights.

First is the fantastic lie contained in Joan Peters 'From Time Immemorial' which claimed to prove that the Palestinians were not from Palestine but were immigrants from elsewhere - supposed proof that Palestine was, literally, a land without people. Norman Finkelstein's excellent piece shows how Peters lied, misquoted, invented evidence, plagiarised previous worthless 'scholarship' on this issue to support her case. Finkelstein's demolition is a classic. It's also laugh-out-loud funny due to the hamfisted nature of the way Peters constructed her fraud.

Chris Hitchens (yes, Hitchens used to be on the side of the underdog) is next up to show how the Zionist claim that the Palestinians left due to radio broadcasts from Arab leaders has no evidence whatever to support it.

In 'Palestine: Ancient History and Modern Politics', G. W. Bowersock shows how large parts of Palestine were inhabited by Arabs and Arab political entities in Biblical times - contrary to Zionist claims that Arabs only arrived in Palestine in the 7th century.

Ibrahim Abu-Lughod shows how the Revisionist Zionist myth that 'Jordan is Palestine' is bunkum, as he examines the British creation of Trans-Jordan in the wake of the demise of the Hashemite Kingdom of Syria.

Rashid Khalidi shows how the Palestinian peasantry had, even before WWI, resisted their expulsion from their land for Zionist settlement, showing an attachment to the land that is denied by Zionist propaganda.