Book Review
Name of the Book: Israel/Palestine
Author: Alan Dowty
Year of Publication: 2012
Publisher: Polity Press
The convoluted paradigm of Israel- Palestine discourse is replete with critical
analysis of modern territorial dispensations, incontrovertible facts and de
facto resolutions. Contrastingly, Alan Dowty in the third edition of
‘Israel/Palestine’, tries to embed a non-judgmental historical scrutiny,
avoiding political chicanery and dogmatic ideologies. This edition turns out
to be more topical than the previous ones as it includes the impact of Arab
Spring on the future of Israel-Palestine peace process. With the ulterior
motive to let readers endorse their own intuitive reasoning and perspicacity;
Dowty often respected for his ‘even-headedness’ and ‘objectivity’ embraces
the art of subtle narration and chronology of facts. The author presupposes
lack of foundational knowledge of Israel-Palestine conflict on the part of
reader, thereby, following a conceptual framework that emphasizes the
various approaches to the resolution of conflict.
Competing with other academic literature already produced on this
proposition by authors like Neil Caplan, Gregory Harms, Walter Laqueur and
Ilan Pappe, Ian Carroll, ‘Israel/Palestine’ differs in being hopelessly naïve
about concept of objectivity. To add a personal and more humane touch to the
theme, the author also incorporates poems of both Jews and Arabs. Along
with quoting the Hatikvah-Israeli National Anthem, Dowty also focuses on
fragile and embryonic poems by Arab writers that deserve a mention. He
condemns ‘questioning’, blaming and producing interest based knowledge.
But in this process, Dowty is unable to share an inter-subjective and cognitive
conception of the process in which nation states are formed, where the clash
of identities and interests are endogenous to the interactive phenomenon of
conflict resolutions.
In his introduction, through short and crisp chapters, he defines the conflict,
the rudimentary seeds of acrimony sown during Ottoman period, the Arab
story and the Jewish story. Though, the author, at certain insertions, does not
get into a historical interpretation of terms like Hebrew tribes, Semitic identity,
and territorial integrity during Tanzimat reforms, Barbary pirates. He also
limits the notion of restorationism in Christianity to the mere restoration of
Jews. Other narrations which lack a coherent explanation point at why Russia
supported Orthodox Christians while Britain and Prussia goaded Protestants
during capitulations. Even the ‘ghost of Palestinian particularism’- a term that
demands a very subjective and in-depth explanation is dealt in a very daft
manner. Th neo-liberal institutionalism and complex interdependence that
functions in the unifying the AIPAC lobby with US, thereby influencing the
existence of Israel is not dealt with in great detail. Even little insights like the
role of Eddie Jacobson’s in convincing US President Truman in recognizing
Israel, just as it did declare its independence, is not dealt with. Such insights
which are revealed in other books like ‘O Jerusalem’ of Dominique Lapierre
and Larry Collins or ‘Reset’ of Stephen Kinser; make it even more interesting
for the audience to connect with the narrative.
Very often, it seems like the fusion of innumerable facts makes the analysis
quite flawless in technicality of events but weak in arousing debates, hence
the implications become quite anachronistic. For example, the fragile
discussion on the advent of Arab Spring for the future of Israel-Palestine
debate, demands much more than underpinnings over revolutions and
desolate monarchies.
Few predictions that Dowty made with Muslim Brotherhood gaining foothold
over Egypt after the downfall of Mubarak did not excel in the test of time.
Interestingly, even though he makes such critical observations, Dowty fails to
analyze the ramifications of the abrogation of 1979 peace treaty of Egypt and
Israel. Also, when he states that a mutually decided way-out is still possible
with Hamas winning an election and Israeli politics moving to the right but
the entire book does not go into the in-depth hotspot of tension- Jerusalem,
while dealing with the answers to this rhetoric. Even the fractions which are
developing between Obama’s foreign policy and Netanyahu’s response to it
have been avoided. Delving into these struggling caveats is essential because
it is more than just geo-politics but also suggesting the weakening of US’s role
in West Asia.
The lacunas become more visible during the chronicle of Arab story that is
monotonous, brimming with already known facts. The man-slaughter at Deir
Yasin is not discussed with great precision, thereby limiting its significance in
causing Al Nakba. Though, Benny Morris’s opinions are added in a
helter-skelter manner, other more radical interpretations of Rashid Khalidi,
Ilan Pappe, Noam Chomsky are avoided.
Dowty does not explain the Arab Israeli wars in great detail and depth,
especially the 1967 war and its reverberations in both Israeli and Palestinian
politics. The role of AIPAC, military industrial complex, embedded liberalism
and two-level game analysis are not mentioned while discussing the peace
process. The mere ‘authoritative’ summing of facts, often weakens the lucidity
of the text and renders it dry.
As we approach the end, ever shorter narratives on practical solutions and
reflections gives an impression of an impatient endeavor. ‘Israel-Palestine’,
rich in factual information but very weak in theoretical and analytical
understanding can hence, be fruitful only for readers that have a very nascent
understanding of the conflict. The deconstruction of the Israel/Palestine
debate lacks substance while dealing with ‘multiple identities’, structural
transformations in the bi-polar world and process of institutionalization of
United Nations. Thus, the narrative does not explain the analytical reason for
why great powers, behave differently with different states, e.g.-United States
and USSR in the case of Arab-Israel conflict. It makes it difficult to challenge
the dichotomous privileging of international structure dealing with the
establishment of new states over the process of it. The ‘transformed identities’
of both Jews and Arabs is not discussed at all. Especially about the Arabs who
chose to stay in Israel and have now become citizens.
Nevertheless, the objectivity of the book makes it quite herculean to criticize it.
In a nutshell, the hypothesis of Alan Dowty to reduce the confrontation to its
very core, in order to demystify it and shed illusions is an impressive
understanding, a fact that can be witnessed with his equitable anecdote.