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This publication
offers a rare insight into the Palestinian-Israeli
 dilemma
while outlining political, religious, historical, and
emotional issues in the struggle for peace.
It is unique in
brilliantly bringing together two authors who represent the
two peoples in the conflict: Cohn-Sherbok is Rabbi Professor
of Judaism, and El-Alami is a lecturer in Islamic studies at
the University of Wales, Lampeter. Each introduces his
argument and then offers a rebuttal of the other's position.
Cohn-Sherbok views the creation of a Jewish state as a
necessity, basing it on a history of anti-Semitism, migration,
and the Holocaust. He recounts visions of historical figures
such as Theodor Herzl and David Ben-Gurion and the Balfour
Declaration in 1917, which permitted the legal acquisition of
land.
Conversely, El-Alami
questions the legality and morality of the land acquisition
process and supports the Palestinian struggle. He documents
over 2000 years of history, moving through the Ottoman Empire,
and points out numerous "secret negotiations and broken
promises." Both authors tend to blame the other side, or a
third party, but offer some resolutions for settling the
impasse.
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