Review by Alexandra Menter

The short:

Gershom Gorenberg examines the events following the June 1967 Arab-Israeli war that led up to the creation of the settlement movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The long:

Following the conclusion of the third Arab-Israeli war, Israel defeated Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, and expanded its military control to occupy the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the entire West Bank including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Former U.S. President, Lyndon B. Johnson argued for a ceasefire and attempted a policy of “land for peace,” in which the administration acknowledged that Israel should withdraw its troops, but did not demand an immediate withdrawal of the Israeli military from the territories it had conquered. Conversely, former Prime Minister and founder of Israel’s Labour Party, Levi Eshkol, entered into stagnation and did not pursue an official policy regarding Israel's then-recent conquests. As a result of this sluggishness, religious and secular Israelis from the far right and radical left political spectrum began staking claims to pieces of land in newly conquered parts of East Jerusalem and the West Bank, creating an ‘Accidental Empire” of territories intended to be part of a future Arab-Palestinian state. Gorenberg links this critical part of Israel’s history to its modern settlement movement, which has expanded deep into Area C of the West Bank, and remains a significant source of conflict and violence between Israelis and Palestinians, the latter of who witness and experience continued violence and confiscation of their land by Israeli settlers and the Israeli military.

To read or not to read:

Read! This is an excellent resource for anyone looking to learn more about what has become one of the most contentious issues within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. My favorite part of this book is the way Gorenberg humanizes this historical narrative by telling it from the perspective of multiple Israeli leaders, politicians, writers, and American presidents. This puts the reader into their shoes and challenges them to consider a variety of perspectives amidst complex political decision making that Israeli, American, and Palestinian leaders faced.