The last three chapters of this book were the most useful and interesting in my opinion. I mentioned earlier this semester that my family has a personal connection to the Arab-Israeli conflict; my grandfather is Palestinian and was forced into exile, which is how he ended up in Egypt. My father was born in Cairo just in time for the Six Day war and the rest of the drama that is described in these last chapters.
I have never fully understood the conflicts surrounding Jerusalem and all of Israel because it is such an extensive conflict whose timeline lasts for centuries. I am so happy that I read Armstrong's book because it described the basics of the history of this city in 400 pages. I have learned the history of the Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which is beyond important for understanding anything to do with this region. I also have a strong grasp on the events leading up to the Balfour Declaration, as well as its immediate consequences. And now I understand the policies of the modern state of Israel, and its relations with its Arab neighbors.
The last three chapters benefited me the most because now I truly understand my father's perspective of this conflict. Before I thought he was extremely biased and his opinion lacked fact. But now that I have read the history for myself, I understand why he feels the way he does. Before I was so confused about people, dates, wars, religions, etc, but this book has really cleared up many of my questions. It was interesting for me to read the history of Jerusalem from the 60s to the present day because that is also part of my dad's life; this makes it more personal for me. I really enjoyed this book and I think it was a great way to start off this class because now we are all on the same page on the history of this region.
No comments:
Post a Comment