From Beirut to Jerusalem Paperback – October 1, 2024

Great read

Friedman wraps up his book by talking about four dead men and what they must do if peace is to come to the troubled slice of land still fought over by Israelis and Palestinians. Yitzhak Rabin, Yasir Arafat, Hafez Assad, and Jordan's King Hussein were very much alive a decade ago when Friedman wrote an appendix to this still-riveting work, though the shadow of Rabin's assasin was almost upon him. This casts an eery veneer over Friedman's sensible thoughts on shifting power and the need for all partners to 'buy a ticket' if peace has any hope of overcoming the region's deeply etched pessimisms, even if one now needs to shift the burden of choice to the successors of these four men, only three of whom had the good fortune to die in their own beds.Friedman is ubiquitous these days on television news, bookstore shelves, and award ceremonies. With good reason.No one is better at spotting patterns in the apparent chaos of modern events, and then distilling them into understandable images. The Lexus and the Olive Tree, Longitudes and Attitudes, The World is Flat and his New York Times and syndicated columns have filled Friedman's shelf with Pulitzers and placed his voice on the 'must read' list of anyone who believes our times can and must be understood. Yet From Beirut to Jerusalem is perhaps his finest, unwavering look at a concrete crisis, undergirded as it is by years of reporting in the small space that locks these two capitals in the grip of a land where memories endure too long.Autobiography, as much as the places he describes, make Friedman's study the success that it is. An American Jewish journalist with Oxford training in Modern Middle Eastern Studies and a pragmatic fearlessness about going where the story lies, the author's common touch serves him well. He appears equally at ease with his Beirut glass seller as with Arafat, Shamir, and Rabin, though he does not conceal his disdain for the late PLO Chairman's effete revolutionary pose. Though Friedman is remarkably personal about his subject throughout-yet without giving up his journalist's distance-his final chapters are an almost passionate plea for sanity by a man who has lost friends and seen too much in nearly a decade's posting to the Middle East, just as the citizens of the region have themselves.Friedman is convinced that Beirut and Jerusalem, different as they appear, suffer under Middle Eastern tribalisms that devour their young when given the slightest chance. The author leads his reader into the human impact of this regional vice with page-turning narrative punctuated with brilliant, image-rich synthesis. Friedman is convinced that patterns of behavior are there to be understood and, if it can be said in the context of the Middle East without provoking scornful laughter, even managed.He is particularly insightful on the role that is played by America's distinct blend of naiveté and optimism, the latter quality being one that he insists the parties to the modern conflict need and know that they need.His final prescriptions for a hard-nosed deal between Israel and the Palestinians are now overshadowed by a 13-meter wall and the rough tears in the fabric of the two people's interdependence that were inflicted by the second intifada and Israel's response. Yet, for all that has changed, surely much more has remained the same, and so Friedman's suggestions read like medicine in need of a pair of doctors realistic and pig-headed enough to prescribe it and convince their respective peoples that only in this way will the patient mend. Or, more to the point, survive.By my lights, this the single most effective book to place in the hands of a Western reader attentive enough to want to comprehend the Middle East's 'civilization of clashes'-to borrow a term from Niall Ferguson-and hopeful enough to have resisted the easier path of cynicism.

It's hard to say anything good about this book that hasn't been said dozens of times already, but Tom Friedman has produced one of the most important books on the modern Middle East that exists today. From Beirut to Jerusalem is a wonderful mix of contemporary history and reporting from someone who clearly cares about the region. Friedman is remarkably fair in his approach and doesn't give a free pass to anyone, Jew or Arab.The book's only real flaw is that at times it can feel like a bunch of little stories and anecdotes rather than a book with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Part of this is probably the book's length. At 571 pages, it's a long read even though Friedman is an excellent writer. Another reason for this is that the subject doesn't lend itself to quick and easy explanation. Nonetheless, anyone that wants to understand the Middle East today will be at a serious disadvantage if they don't read this book.If understanding the modern Middle East is your goal, then you would do well to read From Beirut to Jerusalem. Even though the book only covers two countries directly, the content can be easily extended to the rest of the region. And even though the book was written a decade and a half before the summer 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah, it goes a long way in explaning that particular conflict.

As a college student studying International Affairs, I managed to avoid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for 4 years. I never felt like I had a fight in it, and felt the field had "too many cooks in the kitchen." I focused mostly on other regions and topics, generally aware of big picture issues with Israel, settlements, and the plight of Palestinians. I came across this book in searching for books on Syrian history for my job and decided to give it a shot, at least for the portions covering Lebanese history. I have never been a fan of Mr. Friedman's work before, but this book really is a masterpiece, and one that should be read by anyone looking to study history, the Middle East, or international affairs.This book has almost too many good qualities to list. It is excellently nuanced and balanced, detailed enough for the expert, but explained and fast paced enough for the novice of the region. Do not be fooled by the length of the book, it is a genuine page turner, with only a few slow points, and by the end you are wishing someone would take the initiative and cover the years in depth since its printing in 1988. I was initially afraid at a book so old, afraid I would be missing newly found information unavailable at the time of writing, but unfortunately the region, particularly Lebanon and Syria, isn't covered much even by scholars.Mr. Friedman is passionate about the topic, to be sure, but as he notes, true friends are honest with each other. Having lived in Beirut for a number of years, and then moving to Jerusalem, he has friends on both sides of the situation, but isn't afraid to discuss issues for a real and lasting peace. The biggest issue, for both sides, seemed to be a misunderstanding of the other group. While some Palestinians viewed the Israelis as a minor blip in time on the land, who would eventually surrender the land and leave forever, the Israelis viewed the Palestinians under the umbrella of "Arabs" who would be at home anywhere, refusing to distinguish between an Arab in Egypt and an Arab in Iraq. Leadership, or lack of it, fed into those beliefs. Both sides lacked bold leadership, as neither led from the front, but rather led from the polls. Instead of making bold initiatives toward peace, both felt that time was on their side, when it obviously only made the divisions deeper. In the rare case where leaders did make bold moves (Sadat), they were taken out by their own group, making it even more difficult to lead from the front.While the time in Beirut was the most interesting to me, his chapter on religion in Israel is really eye opening. We Americans tend to see other countries in generally black and white (West Germany good, East Germany bad) and forget that not all Israeli Jews are the same. The way Friedman goes into this topic is supremely interesting and profound, and something American Jews should certainly look at and discuss.It is something of a miracle that this book was written, on a region that is so often overlooked. With such an important topic, I'll take away everything bad I ever said about Mr. Friedman. My only regret on this book is that I did not read it earlier. This book is great for someone with very little information on the region or the expert on the region. Read it as soon as you can.

I read this book over 20 yrs ago, as a work related assign me to. I find it disturbing that those in positions of power either never read this book or failed to heed some of the suggestions put forth by Mr Friedman. It turns into a vicious circle after oct 6. A Rey important read if you want to attempt to understand the qualifications the Middle East