The 51 Day War: Ruin and Resistance in Gaza

From the moment I received this book I wasn't able to put it down. It's made up of short succinct chapters, each of which is a snapshot of Israeli society and politics, interwoven with deeply personal and human stories, historical background, and on the ground investigative journalism. While there are hundreds of books telling us about the how and the what of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this book talks about something that nobody touches upon in mainstream discourse, the WHY. Max Blumenthal steps deep into the belly of Israeli society and thoroughly documents the racism, fanaticism, religious fundamentalism, greed, violence, and hysteria that animates the state and its institutions. Once you understand these aspects of Israeli society, understanding the political, demographic and geographic dimensions of the conflict becomes a simple matter of logic.If your worldview necessitates a belief that Israel is inherently righteous, facts to the contrary are deeply disturbing. The cognitive dissonance of seeing these facts (full references are provided for everything in the book) and trying to square that with your faith in Israeli righteousness must be a nightmare.

This book should be required reading for every high school senior. Future voters should be aware of where the horrible bombs and missiles developed by our military/industrial complex go and what horrible crimes are committed with these weapons of mass destruction. The descriptions of war crimes and crimes committed with the Israel Defense Force against the civilian population of Gaza are very hard to take but must be acknowledged. Of course one of the most important issues established by this book is the fact that this was not a 50 day war but a 51 day war the first day being the breaking of the cease fire by Israel when it assassinated 7 members of Hamas, provoking rockets, and unleashing the IDF massacre of thousands of civilians including hundreds of babies and the maiming of thousands including the maiming of 5,000 kids. The book should be read in conjunction with videos and documentaries of the massacre of the refugees from apartheid Israel residing in the Shejaiya refugee camp in Gaza. The video of the boy covered all over with shrapnel wounds at the beginning of the film probably documents the damage done by an American DIME bomb. American white phosphorus bombs burn to the bone. American flechette missiles shred.

Working with both the broad historical background and first hand on the ground experience, Blumenthal presents a vivid and heart wrenching account of the 2014 attack on Gaza. This the story censored western mainstream media working with the Israeli government, a necessary read for all interested in and affected by this war, which directly or indirectly includes everyone.

Great book

If you are interested in human rights or in social justice and you are tiered of the mainstream hasbara-driven coverage of the middle east this book is a must read.Blumenthal is the Robert Risk of our generation

This book, which reaffirms my knowledge of Israeli atrocities, has simply solidified my resolve to spend my money ethically.