A Blood-Dimmed Tide: Dispatches from the Middle East - Softcover

A genuine and intelligent critical inquiry into the nature of contemporary Israeli politics and its Zionist ideology and the development of Palestinian statehood by one of Israel's most prominent literati. In an often trenchant tone, Elon explores the conditions that brought about the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin and the ascendance of the political right in Israel. The author reflects on the Palestinians' plight and their encouragement of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein during the Persian Gulf crisis. Library Journal A series of poignant snapshots-grim reminders of Israel's underside, eloquent testimonials to the dark rhythms of life in the Middle East. The Washington Post One could not ask for a more informed and discerning guide than Elon to both what is tiresomely old and startlingly new between Israeli Jews and their Arab antagonists and partners. Kirkus Reviews Well-written and incisive. Publishers Weekly Elon's meaty essays deserve to stand as history. Booklist Touching upon the sacred cows of Israeli society, Elon has provided the reader with a comprehensive and coherent literary portrayal of the changing attitudes towards the Holocaust during the latter half of the twentieth century. Bulletin of the Arnold & Leona Finkler Institute First published three years ago, the collection has been fully revised in the light of recent developments and a new introduction was written after Prime Minister Ehud Barak's landslide election victory last year. It is worth reading for this introduction alone, a remarkable crystallization of three decades of Israeli politics in 20 pages. The Japan Times

A powerful and evocative collection of essays, A Blood Dimmed Tide gathers nearly thirty years of Amos Elon's work on the Middle East. Skillfully moving from the Intifada to the Gulf War and its aftermath to the Peace Now! movement, these essays provide a nuanced account of relations between Jews and Arabs and among the Israelis themselves. Elon has also written a timely introduction that provides an overview of his work and brings it up to the election of Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister of Israel. This internationally-known journalist presents sharply observed portraits of the region's key figures: Shimon Peres, Yitzak Rabin, and King Hussein; he interviews Yasir Arafat; and he considers Moshe Dayan's life and legacy. Elon also ranges far to sketch the political climate of the region and its players, from Israeli settlers in Hebron and their uneasy coexistence with Arab neighbors to the foreign policy of Egypt. Sensitive and powerful, A Blood-Dimmed Tide provides a timely analysis of the conflicts between Jews and Arabs. From the Palestinians' refusal to accept Israel's 1978 offer of "full autonomy" to the Israeli government's insistence that settling the occupied territories would bring security, Elon traces what he considers to be the deadly miscalculations of both groups. As he examines the events and misunderstandings that have made it so difficult for Palestinians and Israelis to establish peace, Elon concludes taht what will finally bring the two sides together will not be moral imperative or personal courage but exhaustion. A Blood-Dimmed Tide is a significant contribution to our understanding of this troubled land.