The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited
2nd Edition
Published on 11. December 2003
Book
Paperback/Softback
666 pages
978-0-521-00967-6 (ISBN)
Description
Benny Morris' 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.
Reviews / Votes
'The book is thorough, shocking, and based upon the highest standard of historical research.' Journal of Peace Research 'When published in 1988, The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem was the first serious history of one of the central issues behind the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A revised edition following the opening up of Israeli state archives for the period, examines in greater detail the actual events behind the flight of Palestinians from Jerusalem, Jaffa and Haifa.' Jewish Chronicle Review of the first edition '... The most comprehensive and detailed study yet published on the Palestinian refugees.' The Economist 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 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 ReviewMore details
Series
Edition
2nd Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Edition type
Revised edition
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
3 Maps
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 36 mm
Weight
949 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-00967-6 (9780521009676)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2006
2nd Edition
Cambridge University Press
€49.99
Available for download
Previous edition
Book
02/1989
Cambridge University Press
€37.08
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Benny Morris is Professor of History in the Middle East Studies Department, Ben-Gurion University. He is an outspoken commentator on the Arab-Israeli conflict, and is one of Israel's premier revisionist historians. His publications include Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-1999 (2001), and Israel's Border Wars, 1949-56 (1997).
Content
Introduction; 1. Background; 2. 'Transfer': thinking in Zionism before 1948; 3. The first stage of the exodus, November 1947-March 1948; 4. The second stage of the exodus, April-June, 1948; 5. The third stage of the exodus,'The Ten Days', July 1948; 6. Deciding against a return of the refugees; 7. Preventing a return; 8. The fourth stage of the exodus, October- November 1948; 9. Clearing the borders; 10. Solving the refugee problem: the failure to reach agreement and a solution, 1949; Conclusion.