Enemies and Neighbors: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel, 1917-2017

Ian Black has accomplished something truly monumental here by condensing a century of heartbreak into a single, readable volume. The book tracks the conflict from the 1917 Balfour Declaration all the way to the 2017 era of Trump, providing a necessary perspective on how we reached this current deadlock. I was particularly struck by the inclusion of personal voices from both sides, which adds a layer of humanity often lost in dry political textbooks. The pacing is excellent for a 500-page history. Every chapter feels vital. It is a depressing journey, sure, but a necessary one for anyone who wants to understand the 'irrepressible conflict' mentioned in the Peel Commission report. This isn't just about dates; it’s about the soul of two peoples claiming the same small patch of earth.

Detailed, sprawling, and deeply sobering. Black perfectly captures that famous Arthur Koestler quote about one nation promising the land of a third to a second. The way he weaves together the 1937 Peel Report, the Oslo Accords, and the rise of the Likud party is masterful. I’ve read a lot on this subject, but the nuances of Arafat’s leadership and the shifting Israeli security mindset were explained here with fresh clarity. It is hard to read about the suicide bombings of the early 2000s followed immediately by the construction of the separation wall, yet Black handles these volatile topics with a steady hand. Is it biased? Perhaps slightly, but in a conflict this polarized, every 'fact' is a battleground. This is as close to a comprehensive overview as you are likely to find.

As someone who has struggled to find a single-volume history that feels complete, this is a godsend for any serious student of the region. Black manages to be both a meticulous historian and a compelling storyteller, which is a rare feat in this genre. He doesn't shy away from the 'horrors of the ongoing occupation,' nor does he ignore the internal divisions within both the Palestinian and Israeli camps. The way he juxtaposes the rhetoric of the Balfour Declaration with the reality of the 1948 Nakba is particularly powerful. Personally, I think the book is balanced because it makes everyone feel a little bit uncomfortable. It forces you to confront the reality that there is no easy solution and that both sides have valid reasons for their mutual mistrust. A triumph of reporting.

Finally, a comprehensive look at the region that doesn't shy away from the gritty political details or the human cost of a hundred-year war. Black’s ability to jump from the high-level diplomacy of the UN to the donkey carts of Gaza is what makes this book special. He captures the 'implacable hideous inevitability' of the conflict perfectly. I was especially impressed with the later chapters covering the 2014 Gaza war and the shift in international perception of the conflict. The book is heavily documented, yet it moves with the pace of a thriller, even when you already know the tragic ending. It’s an authoritative, sobering, and brilliantly executed history that should be required reading for anyone interested in why peace remains so elusive.

Picked this up after seeing it on a few 'must-read' lists for the Middle East, and I was mostly impressed. The level of detail regarding the British Mandate period and the subsequent 1948 and 1967 wars is staggering. Black does a fine job illustrating the political machinations of the UK and the US without losing sight of the people on the ground. My only minor gripe is that the book can feel a bit like a dense listing of facts at times, which might slow down casual readers. Still, the scholarship is evident on every page. It provides a much-needed counter-narrative to the simplified versions of this history we often get in the West. If you want a deep dive into the complexities of the occupation and the failure of the peace process, this is your book.

How do you even begin to summarize a century of bloodshed and broken promises? Black attempts it by focusing on the 'neighbors' aspect—the proximity that makes the enmity so much more intimate and painful. The book shines when it analyzes the 1990s peace process and why it ultimately collapsed into the tragedy of the Second Intifada. Frankly, I found the earlier chapters on the Ottoman period and early Jewish immigration to be the most enlightening, as they set the stage for everything that followed. Some might find his critiques of Israeli policy harsh, but he backs his assertions with a wealth of primary sources. It’s an essential, if exhausting, read that successfully illuminates the political maneuvers that have kept this region in a state of perpetual war.

The sheer depth of research in these 600-odd pages is staggering, yet the prose remains surprisingly accessible. I appreciated how Black didn't just focus on the 'great men' of history like Ben-Gurion or Arafat, but also looked at how ordinary citizens perceived the changing landscape. The chapter on the 1967 war and its aftermath was particularly illuminating for me. It shows how the occupation transformed from a temporary measure into a permanent, suffocating reality. While I think he could have spent more time on the internal Jewish debates regarding security and survival, the book still feels like a massive achievement. It’s a dense, challenging work that demands your full attention, but the payoff is a much more sophisticated understanding of the news today.

After hearing so much about the 'impartiality' of this book, I had to see for myself if it lived up to the hype. It mostly does. Black provides a gritty, unvarnished look at the 1980s and 90s, particularly the rise of Hamas and the tragic failure of the Oslo Accords. His description of the 'logic' behind the violence on both sides is chilling. One moment you're reading about the Deir Yassin massacre, and the next, you're looking at the retaliatory strikes that have defined the last twenty years. The book ends on a very pessimistic note in 2017, which feels entirely appropriate given the current state of affairs. It’s not an easy read by any means, but it’s an important one for anyone tired of the superficial takes often found on social media.

Look, I really wanted to like this more given the high praise it receives in academic circles. While the writing is undeniably fluid and the historical structure is easy to follow, the author’s background as a Guardian writer seems to bleed through the pages. I was seeking a truly neutral analysis, but this felt tilted toward the Palestinian narrative at the expense of Jewish historical context. For example, the roots of Zionism are framed more as colonial nostalgia than a desperate flight from European pogroms. To be fair, the research is expansive and the documentation is top-notch. However, the emotional weight is distributed unevenly, making it a frustrating read for anyone hoping for a perfectly balanced scale. It’s a good book, just not the definitive, unbiased account it claims to be.

To be fair, the prose is elegant and the timeline is exceptionally well-organized, but I couldn't shake the feeling of a distinct narrative slant. The author seems to humanize the Palestinian 'martyrs' with vivid personal details while often reducing Israeli casualties to mere statistics. For instance, the descriptions of the 2003 Haifa restaurant bombing felt strangely clinical compared to the evocative stories of Palestinian families losing their land. It’s a shame, because the political analysis of the 1930s and 40s is actually quite brilliant. If you read this alongside something like 'My Promised Land' by Ari Shavit, you’ll get a better-rounded picture. On its own, it feels like a very well-written piece of advocacy disguised as a neutral history. Useful, but read it with a critical eye.