A Zionist Among Palestinians

Bardin, a founder of the Shalom Yerushalayim Party, offers stories of his experiences working to create a dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis from before the first intifada through the second. His tales span the spectrum of the Palestinians living both in the Israeli state and under occupation in the West Bank. From the denial of education to Palestinians to the refusal of building permits and systematic land theft, this self-proclaimed leftist Zionist explains the oppression that the Israeli state inflicts on its Palestinian residents and citizens. Bardin candidly discusses pervasive racist Israeli behavior, jokes, and sentiments, and details his own journey working with Palestinians, beginning with his surprise at learning that both Palestinians and Israelis want peace, despite his preconceived notions. His surprise at Palestinian willingness to cooperate is effective at showing the transformation of his views, but quickly becomes repetitive. Despite this, he repeats the now tired Israeli rhetoric of being unable to find a partner for peace among the Palestinian population, which is disproved by his heartwarming stories of successful collaboration. (May)