Synopses & Reviews
Benny Morriss The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem was published in 1988. Its startling revelations about how and why 700,000 Palestinians left their homes and became refugees during the Arab-Israeli war in 1948 undermined traditional interpretations as to whether they left voluntarily or were expelled as part of a systematic plan. This book represents a revised edition of the earlier work, compiled on the basis of newly-opened Israeli military archives. While the focus remains the 1948 war and the analysis of the Palestinian exodus, the new material contains more information about what happened in Jerusalem, Jaffa and Haifa, and how events there led to the collapse of Palestinian urban society. It also sheds light on the battles and atrocities that resulted in the disintegration of rural communities. The story is a harrowing one. The refugees now number four million and their existence remains a major obstacle to peace.
Review
Review of the first edition "Mr Morris
is a rare combination of journalist and painstaking research historian, whose thorough use of Israeli, British and American archives - many of the materials unavailable until now - has enabled him to present a definitive history of his subject." The New York Times Book Review
Review
Review of the first edition "
The most comprehensive and detailed study yet published on the Palestinian refugees." The Economist
Review
Review of the first edition "This excellent myth-debunking book
deserves a wide readership among those who want to understand what has happened in Israel over the last 40 years rather than repeat discredited propaganda which serves only to prolong the war." The Spectator
Synopsis
In a revised edition of Morris" earlier work, which explored the realities behind the Palestinian exodus of 1948, fresh material considers battles, expulsions and atrocities that contributed to the disintegration of Palestinian communities. The story is harrowing. Refugees now number four million - their cause remains a major obstacle to peace.
Synopsis
Morris explores the realities behind the Palestinian exodus of 1948 during the Arab-Israeli war.
Synopsis
In a revised edition of Morris' earlier work, which explored the realities behind the Palestinian exodus of 1948, fresh material considers battles, expulsions and atrocities that contributed to the disintegration of Palestinian communities. The story is harrowing. Refugees now number four million - their cause remains a major obstacle to peace.
Synopsis
This book is the first full-length study of the birth of the Palestinian refugee problem. Based on recently declassified Israeli, British and American state and party political papers and on hitherto untapped private papers, it traces the stages of the 1947-9 exodus against the backdrop of the first Arab-Israeli war and analyses the varied causes of the flight.