Product Description

Armed with stones, Kalashnikovs and the scarcely believable martyrdom of the suicide bomber, a generation of Palestinians has confronted one of the most lethal armies in the Middle East in a battle that has stunned and horrified the world. For almost two decades, the intifada has been the byword for Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation. But, for all its familiar usage in the media, many people remain unclear as to what the intifada really is, or how it began. Just what fuels the anger? Who are the key players in this deadly clash and where, during these dangerous days in the Middle East, does the resistance go from here? Part reflection, part reportage, in "The Long Day Of Rage", award-winning foreign correspondent and film-maker David Pratt takes the reader on a journey across the frontlines of the Palestinian uprising. From the War of the Stones in the 1980s, to the eruption of the al-Aqsa intifada in 2000, and the ultimate rise of Hamas, this is an eyewitness tour through the Islamic hotbeds, beleaguered refugee camps, and bomb-makers' dens of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Above all, it is a gripping and graphic account of a people's struggle to shake off oppression as viewed from the ground zero of besieged Ramallah and the ruins of a shell-shattered Jenin.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #849516 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Louisa Waugh - The Herald
"David Pratt's first book, Intifada: The Long Day of Rage is a
real gem... passionate, frightening, intense, there are searing details of
humanity on both sides. This remarkable book is a testament to the power of
an honest partisan."

Charles Glass, former ABC News Chief Mideast Correspondent and author of The Tribes Triumphant and The Northern Front
"THIS is eye-witness reporting at its best - clear, well-observed,
fair. Read it, and you'll understand why most of what you read about Israel
and the Palestine is nonsense."

Steve Tanner, author of Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban.
"THIS book will be an eye-opener for many readers, Americans in
particular . . . it unveils a longstanding lapse in the Western concept of
justice."

Customer Reviews

unholy land
Intifada The Long Day Of Rage is one of the most incisive and well researched books of the unholy land to date. Pratt shares his intimate knowledge of the Palestinian struggle to portray the injustice and violence faced by ordinary citizens on both sides of the divide.

Essentially a polemical work, inspired by his personal experience as a war correspondent he provides a narrative that is both sympathetic and honest in its approach to what is a very daunting subject. For those that have never read about this conflict or have been confused about the chronology or the various participating factions this book is essential reading.

Intifada The Long Day Of Rage will inspire and inform anyone with an interest in one of the most important and pivotal conflicts of our age.

Billy Briggs Freelance Journalist
Pratt's perceptive book is invaluable for anyone wishing to fully understand the two Palestinian Intifadas and recent history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Pratt is a highly experienced and respected British journalist who has spent more than twenty years covering this conflict, often putting his own life at risk in order to bear witness and to gain first hand experience of one of the world's most tragic stories: Pratt knows his subject matter inside out.
What I enjoyed most about this book is Pratt's writing style and his roller coaster reportage that takes the reader right into the heart of the dozens of major incidents he has covered. Pratt has interviewed most of the major players on both sides during his time but what makes this book for me is the insight the reader is given into how the conflict impacts ordinary people on both sides, details often missed by much media reporting.
In the foreword Pratt refreshingly abandons journalistic impartiality and states his belief that the Palestinian people are victims of a great injustice because the "weight of evidence which as a reporter I have come across over considerable time, convinces me that the State of Israel has a case to answer for its appalling treatment of the Palestinian". It's a courageous move and Pratt must be applauded for being so honest at the outset. I came to a similar conclusion after spending only one week in the West Bank: I'm no anti-Semite and neither is Pratt. Far from it, in fact, and anyone who has spent any time at all in the West Bank/Gaza could possibly come to any other conclusion than that Israel has a lot to answer for in its treatment of the Palestinians. Pratt does not neglect to present the Israeli point of view and he is severely critical of the PLO and Palestinian Authority.
Of course, anyone writing about this conflict is always going to lay themselves open to criticism from both sides and the dilemma for any journalist/writer is how to cut through the masses of disinformation and propaganda churned out by both sides. Pratt achieves notable success in achieving this because he spent time among the people on both sides. This is about real lives summed up in his eloquent foreword - "This book is my account of time spent among Palestinians and Israelis as they contest this battle and struggle to live ordinary lives in extraordinary circumstances."