Israelism Arab Scholarship on Israel, a Critical Assessment by Hassan A. Barari (Reading, UK: Ithaca Press, 2009, 162 pages.)

Abstract

The author is an Arab from Jordan who stayed in Israel for a time, learned
Hebrew, and became acquainted with the country. As a result, he was able to
examine the Middle East conflict and its dynamics from a relatively objective
point of view, as demonstrated in his Israelism. The book consists of five
chapters, preceded by an acknowledgments section and an introduction, and
followed by an epilogue, a bibliography, and an index. Each chapter has an
introduction and a conclusion, and ends with notes providing references and
clarifications. The first four chapters begin with a quote from one or more
prominent personalities (e.g., David Ben-Gurion, Nasser, and Sayyid Qutb).
In the “Introduction,” Barari explains what prompted him to write this
book and provides background information on the Middle East problem; the
opinions and approaches of Arab scholars toward Israel; how the outcome
of the Six Day War affected scholarly writing about Israel in, for example,
Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon; and the obstacles that prevent objective writing
about Israel. The “Introduction” ends with an explanation of the book’s
aims and structure ...