Why Blame Israel? : The Facts Behind the Headlines (2005)

A provocative new history of a troubled country at the centre of the world stage.

For a surprising number of people, Israel has become a pariah state, a threat to world – not just regional – peace and security. Israel gets the blame for half a century of Middle Eastern violence, for inciting Islamic-based terrorism throughout the world, and for stealing land whose historical right of ownership is at best contentious.  This book examines the true history of the conflict and asks what could inspire such a caricature, and whether any truth lies behind it.  Should Israel shoulder this blames, or are the realities of the conflict far more complex? And how can a geographically tiny state of only 6.5 million people be thought to have such a profound effect on world politics?

This is the first up-to-date, detailed account of the history of the state of Israel, and the resulting Arab-Israeli conflict, from an author who comes from outside the fray.

Neill Lochery uses key events in Israel’s history to present a compelling new set of arguments that challenge much of the accepted conventional wisdom on the Jewish state.  Beginning with the failed peacemaking attempts of the 1990s, Lochery retraces the roots of the current crisis in the Middle East and looks at the lessons that need to be learnt from the past if Israel and its neighbours are going to peacefully co-exist.

This book requires reading, both for those who wish to understand the essentials of the Middle East crisis, and for those who are looking for deeper answers to the complex questions that surround Israel and its enemies.

Press acclaim

“This book is an essential guide to anyone involved in the Palestinian-Isareli debate.  In the current roller-coaster atmosphere of setback and progress it can be used with confidence by those who seek to understand the roots and evolution of the conflict.”
Martin Gilbert

“An important book…essential reading for anybody who wants to have a fair, up-to-date account and understanding of Israel’s history.”
Jewish Telegraph

“Inclusive, informed, well-written. Amidst a mass of books published on the Middle East, this stands out as an unusually fair and accurate account from someone who is neither Jew nor Arab.”
Tom Gross, commentator on Middle East affairs for CNN,
the Sunday Telegraph and the Wall Street Journal

“A rare combination of a book one wants to read for its narrative, in addition to keeping it on one’s bookshelf for reference.”
George Jonas, National Post

“A timely, erudite study that deserves to be read.”
Good Book Guide

“Israel, lest we forget, is the only country in the Middle East that any feminist, atheist, homosexual or trade unionist could bear to live in. Yet there exists quite striking bias against the state of Israel. Neill Lochery’s excellent, accessible book is a must-read for anyone wanting a tonic to this persistent and illogical prejudice.”
Julie Burchill

“The received wisdom is that the terrorism to which Israel is regularly subject is a product of its own behaviour towards the Palestinians. Neill Lochery’s superb book is a useful antidote to this grotesque distortion.”
Stephen Pollard, Mail on Sunday

“A necessary book. So much discussion of the Arab-Israeli conflict fails to rise even to the level of being wrong. This scrupulous, well-written and eminently sane book will go far to set things right.”
Bret Stephens, Editor-in-Chief, Jerusalem Post

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