Synopses & Reviews
In eleven dramatic years, Anwar Sadat changed history—not just that of Egypt, or of the Middle East, but of the entire world. As the architect of the 1973 war against Israel, he gained the support of other Arab nations and inspired the oil embargo that transformed the global economy. Following the war, however, he forever ended Arab aspirations of unity by making peace with Israel. Early in his presidency, Sadat jettisoned Egypt’s alliance with the Soviet Union and turned to the United States, thereby giving the West a crucial Cold War victory. Sadat’s historic tenure still resonates in the twenty-first century as the Islamic activists—whom he originally encouraged but who opposed his conciliatory policy toward Israel and ultimately played a role in his assassination—continue to foster activism, including the Muslim Brotherhood, today.
Thomas W. Lippman was stationed in the Middle East as a journalist during Sadat’s presidency and lived in Egypt in the aftermath of the October War. He knew Sadat personally, but only now, after the passage of time and the long-delayed release of the U.S. State Department’s diplomatic files, can Lippman assess the full consequences of Sadat’s presidency. Hero of the Crossing provides an eye-opening account of the profound reverberations of one leader’s political, cultural, and economic maneuverings and legacy.
Review
"A magnificent piece of historical writing: clear in its exposition, careful in its use of a treasure-trove of new sources and judicious in its analysis of competing political claims to this small and troubled strip of land. It is difficult to see how it will ever be rivaled in terms of scope, intensity and sympathetic understanding." --Roger Owen, Emeritus Professor of Middle East History, Harvard University
"Based on interviews and hard to find documents, Filiu's book is a remarkable work of scholarship that will long stand as the standard history of Gaza. In a subject area strewn with polemic, the author is objective and level-headed." --John Calvert, Professor of History, Creighton University, USA
Review
“Tom Lippman has provided the foundation for understanding what is happening [in the Middle East] today from the rise of ISIS to the collapse of the Arab Spring. And as an added benefit it is a good read for expert and novice alike.”—Edward S. Walker, former U.S. ambassador to Egypt, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates
Review
“Lippman, a great storyteller and analyst of modern Middle Eastern politics and history, is able to explain Sadat the man: his motives, contradictory character, and political metamorphosis. Through extensive research and personal observation, Lippman provides a compelling narrative about how the ‘Hero of the Crossing’ changed the trajectory of the modern Middle East and global politics.”—David Dumke, director of the Prince Mohammad bin Fahd Program for Strategic Research and Studies at the University of Central Florida
Review
“Tom Lippman offers a fresh and much-needed new assessment of Anwar Sadat. . . . Lippman shows how the oft-underestimated Sadat became one of the most consequential figures of the twentieth century.”—James M. Lindsay, senior vice president, director of studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg chair at the Council on Foreign Relations
Review
“Tom Lippman has given us a sophisticated and nuanced view of Anwar el Sadat. Sadat is a more complicated and controversial figure than the ‘martyr for peace’ portrayed in the West. Lippman sheds new light on this historical figure, adding immeasurably to the understanding of Sadat, Egypt, and the contemporary Middle East.”—Steven A. Cook, Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
Review
“This is a work of impressive depth and ambition, written by one of the most experienced and insightful observers of contemporary Middle East. With verve and impressive command of Egyptian history Lippman reexamines Sadat’s conflicted legacy, shedding new light on his years in office and how his policies and his decisions, including his mistakes, have continued to have reverberations for Egypt and the rest of the Middle East in the decades that followed. . . . For anyone interested in the serious study of the Middle East, this is a must-read.”—Mehran Kamrava, author of The Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War
Review
“Lippman combines deep reporting with smooth writing. Sadat, a mystifying and monumental figure, finally gets the book he’s earned.”—Richard Cohen, columnist for the Washington Post
Synopsis
Through its millennium-long existence, Gaza has often been bitterly disputed while simultaneously and paradoxically enduring prolonged neglect. Squeezed between the Negev and Sinai desert on the one hand and the Mediterranean Sea on the other, Gaza was contested by the Pharaohs, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Fatimids, the Mamluks, the Crusaders, and the Ottomans. Napoleon had to secure it in 1799 to launch his failed campaign on Palestine. In 1917, the British Empire fought for months to conquer Gaza, before establishing its mandate on Palestine. In 1948, 20,000 Palestinians sought refuge in Gaza, a marginal area that neither Israel nor Egypt wanted. Palestinian nationalism grew there, and Gaza has since found itself at the heart of Palestinian history. It is in Gaza that the fedayeen movement arose from the ruins of Arab nationalism. It is in Gaza that the 1967 Israeli occupation was repeatedly challenged, until the outbreak of the 1987 intifada. And it is in Gaza, in 2007, that the dream of Palestinian statehood appeared to have been shattered by the split between Fatah and Hamas. The endurance of Gaza and the Palestinians make the publication of Gaza: A History both timely and significant.
Synopsis
Gaza has become synonymous with conflict and dispute. Though only slightly larger than Omaha, Nebraska at 140 square miles, the small territory of Gaza has been a hot spot for bitter disputes between sparring powers for millennia, from the Ancient Egyptians up until the British Empire and even today.
Wedged between the Negev and Sinai deserts on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other, Gaza was contested by the Pharaohs, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Fatimids, Mamluks, Crusaders, and Ottomans. Then in 1948, 200,000 people sought refuge in Gaza-a marginal area neither Israel nor Egypt wanted. It is here that Palestinian nationalism grew and sprouted into a dream of statehood, a journey much filled with strife.
Though small in size, Gaza's history is nothing short of monumental. Jean-Pierre Filiu's Gaza is the first complete history of the territory in any language. Beginning with the Hyksos in 18th century BC, Filiu takes readers through modern times and the ongoing disputes of the region, ending with what may be in store for the future.
About the Author
Thomas W. Lippman is a journalist specializing in Middle Eastern affairs and American foreign policy. He is a former Middle East bureau chief for the Washington Post, as well the author of numerous magazine articles and books, including Egypt after Nasser: Sadat, Peace, and the Mirage of Prosperity; Inside the Mirage: America’s Fragile Partnership with Saudi Arabia; and, most recently, Saudi Arabia on the Edge: The Uncertain Future of an American Ally (Potomac Books, 2012).
Table of Contents
Foreword
Part I - Gaza Before the Strip
Chapter 1 - The Crossroads of Empires
Chapter 2 - The Islamic Era
Chapter 3 - The British Mandate
Part II - 1947-1967: The Age of Mourning
Chapter 4 - The Catastrophe
Chapter 5 - Refugees and Fedayin
Chapter 6 - The First Occupation
Chapter 7 - Nasser's Children
Part III - The Crushed Generation
Chapter 8 - The Four Years of War
Chapter 9 - The Era of the Notables
Chapter 10 - The Alien Peace
Chapter 11 - The New Wave
Part III - 1987-2007 The Generation of the Intifadas
Chapter 12 - The Revolt of the Stones
Chapter 13 - A Sharply Limited Authority
Chapter 14 - Days of Fury
Chapter 15 - One Palestine Against Another
Chapter 16 - Five Years in the Ruins
Biographies
Chronology
Population Statistics
Select Bibliography
Notes
Index