40 Years in the Wilderness by Josh Freedman Berthoud, Seth Freedman

Synopsis

40 Years in the Wilderness by Josh Freedman Berthoud, Seth Freedman

40 Years in the Wilderness: A Tour of Israeli Settlements in Occupied Land

The Israeli settlements are one of the most contentious issues – if not the most contentious issue – in the Middle East. President Obama calls for them to stop, the Palestinians say a halt is essential for the peace process, but the Israeli government continues to build them.

The authors of this book travel from settlement to settlement talking to the settlers, the original settlers, ideological settlers and those who are simply looking for cheap housing, those who would move if they had to, those who say they will never move. They speak to native born Israelis, immigrants from countries ranging from America to Ethiopia, from the ultra-Orthodox to the secular.

An essential book to understand the central issues involved.

Josh Freedman Berthoud has written for the Observer, The Independent, Evening Standard and the Jewish Chronicle. He has appeared on political shows on the BBC and the Iranian Press TV.

Seth Freedman is a contracted journalist for the Guardian Comment is Free. His first book, Can I Bring My Own Gun? An Israeli soldier’s story, was Time Out’s Book of the Week and was jointly published by the Guardian and Five Leaves. He is also the author of Binge Trading: the real inside story of cash, cocaine and corruption in the City (Penguin).

Reviews of 40 Years in the Wilderness

	13 April 2010
Reviewed by customer: leslie cohen
This book opened my eyes to the diversity of the Jewish inhabitants who live in "the West Bank". I had not realized what a mixed group of people have settled this contentious piece of land, ranging from ideological religious fanatics to new immigrants looking for cheap housing and a good quality of life. There are amusing stories and many sad tales. One particularly poignant chapter describes the death of a teenager in a terrorist attack at a shopping mall in a West Bank settlement. There are shocking remarks made by rabid right wing settlers that make one despair of a peace accord ever being reached, but there are also conciliatory statements by more moderate West Bank residents who would leave their homes if peace for "Israel" was on the table. An informative book which certainly opened my eyes to the complexity behind the headlines. leslie cohen

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