Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor

Posted on 08 August 2018 by Yossi Klein Halevi

New York Times bestseller A profound and original book, the work of a gifted thinker Daphne Merkin, The Wall Street JournalAttempting to break the agonizing impasse between Israelis and Palestinians, the Israeli commentator and award winning author of Like Dreamers directly addresses his Palestinian neighbors in this taut and provocative book, empathizing with Palestinian suffering and longing for reconciliation as he explores how the conflict looks through Israeli eyes.I call you neighbor because I don t know your name, or anything personal about you Given our circumstances, neighbor might be too casual a word to describe our relationship We are intruders into each other s dream, violators of each other s sense of home We are incarnations of each other s worst historical nightmares Neighbors Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor is one Israeli s powerful attempt to reach beyond the wall that separates Israelis and Palestinians and into the hearts of the enemy In a series of letters, Yossi Klein Halevi explains what motivated him to leave his native New York in his twenties and move to Israel to participate in the drama of the renewal of a Jewish homeland, which he is committed to see succeed as a morally responsible, democratic state in the Middle East.This is the first attempt by an Israeli author to directly address his Palestinian neighbors and describe how the conflict appears through Israeli eyes Halevi untangles the ideological and emotional knot that has defined the conflict for nearly a century In lyrical, evocative language, he unravels the complex strands of faith, pride, anger and anguish he feels as a Jew living in Israel, using history and personal experience as his guide.Halevi s letters speak not only to his Palestinian neighbor, but to all concerned global citizens, helping us understand the painful choices confronting Israelis and Palestinians that will ultimately help determine the fate of the region. Best Download [ Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor ] author [ Yossi Klein Halevi ] For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr For me, there wasn t much new in YKH s words part history part musing they seemed very familiar Yet, I was impressed by the eloquence with which he put together all those heartfelt thoughts and feelings YKH s letters, in nutshell, seemed to boil down to the following pleas Please recognize that we are a nation, not just a religion, but that either way, Israel is an inextricable part of our peoplehood and religion Please recognize our 2000 year long connection to the land and our undying l For me, there wasn t much new in YKH s words part history part musing they seemed very familiar Yet, I was impressed by the eloquence with which he put together all those heartfelt thoughts and feelings YKH s letters, in nutshell, seemed to boil down to the following pleas Please recognize that we are a nation, not just a religion, but that either way, Israel is an inextricable part of our peoplehood and religion Please recognize our 2000 year long connection to...I gave up on this book about halfway through I thought the author was patronizing and self serving Although he claims to want a dialogue with his Palestinian neighbors, what he really wants is to preach at them as to why he Jewish people deserve to live in the entire land of Israel while maybe making some minuscule accommodation to the Palestinians who have been live there for several millennia He tries to justify the Jewish connection to the land, while ignoring the Palestinian s equ I gave up on this book about halfway through I thought the author was patronizing and self serving Although he claims to want a dialogue with his Palestinian neighbors, what he really wants is to preach at them as to why he Jewish people deserve to live in the entire land of Israel while maybe making some minuscule accommodation to the Palestinians who have been live there for several millennia He tries to justify the Jewish connection to the land, while ignoring the Palestinian s eq...To doubt the possibility of reconciliation is to limit God s power, the possibility of miracle especially in this land The Torah commands me, Seek peace and pursue it even when peace appears impossible, perhaps especially then p 19 My family has lived in the US for fewer than 125 years, yet Ireland where most of my father s family comes from and Germany my mother s family barely touch me My grandfather, whose older sisters were born in Germany, spoke only a wee bit of German around To doubt the possibility of reconciliation is to limit God s power, the possibility of miracle especially in this land The Torah commands me, Seek peace and pursue it even when peace appears impossible, perhaps especially then p 19 My family has lived in the US for fewer than 125 years, yet Ireland where most of my father s family comes from and Germany my mother s family barely touch me My grandfather, whose older sisters were born in Germany, spoke only a wee bit of German around us, and we never ate German foods I never saw Ireland from my other grandparents, only a vague, half serious yearning to see Ireland I saw itin their love of words, their emotional cut offs when angry.In Yossi Klein Halevi s Letters to ...I ll admit that it was with some skepticism that I picked up this book, but am very happy to have read it I applaud the author for his efforts in extending a hand in peace to his Palestinian neighbor Halevi s 10 open letters seems to me a genuine conciliatory gesture, when he says Neither of us is likely to convince the other of each side s narrative Each of us lives within a story so deeply rooted in our being, so defining of our collective and personal existence, that forfeiting our respect I ll admit that it was with some skepticism that I picked up this book, but am very happy to have read it I applaud the author for his efforts in extending a hand in peace to his Palestinian neighbor Halevi s 10 open letters seems to me a genuine conciliatory gesture, when he says Neither of us is likely to convince the other of each side s narrative Each of us lives within a story so deeply rooted in our being, so defining of our collective and personal existence, that forfeiting our respective narratives would be a betrayal But we need to challenge the stor...In Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, Yossi Klein Halevi intends to break the silence between Israelis and Palestinians The book details different viewpoints from both sides of the conflict, as well as the author s own viewpoint and personal story, all in an attempt to explain the Israeli side of the conflict to Palestinians, while staying sympathetic to both sides The author, being Jewish and living in Israel, takes a stance that isin favor of Israel, but in support of a two state sol In Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, Yossi Klein Halevi intends to break the silence between Israelis and Palestinians The book details different viewpoints from both sides of the conflict, as well as the author s own viewpoint and personal story, all in an attempt to explain the Israeli side of the conflict to Palestinians, while staying sympathetic to both sides The author, being Jewish and living in Israel, takes a stance that isin favor of Israel, but in support of a two state solution The book was written as a letter to a supposed neighbor that represents those living in the West Bank More specifically, the neighbor represents the houses that the author is able to see from his house that borders the West Bank In the writing, the author directly addresses the reader, as if they are the neighbor he is talking about, making the book feel very personal This book makes an attempt to f...I was profoundly moved by this book Many times, I had to put it down, just to breathe or else just let a tear or two drops onto my cheeks as I read between pages This author bares his heart and soul to his neighbour something that involve vulnerability with the hope that his neighbour will ignore her his prejudice and reads it with goodwill and openness Some issues that I want to address in this book 1 Why address the Arab neighbour as Palestinian I notice the acceptable generalization t I was profoundly moved by this book Many times, I had to put it down, just to breathe or else just let a tear or two drops onto my cheeks as I read between pages This author bares his heart and soul to his neighbour something that involve vulnerability with the hope that his neighbour will ignore her his prejudice and reads it with goodwill and openness Some issues that I want to address in this book 1 Why address the Arab neighbour as Palestinian I notice the acceptable generalization that all Palestini...After hearing an interview with the author, I got the book The interview was better than the book.One strength of the book was insight in some moments of what it feels like to be a Jew, what 2000 years of longing for return to Zion mean to at least one man One weakness is the residual of rationalization and self justification that intrudes,early on than later Disclaimer I am neither Jewish nor Palestinian In the early chapters there were moments of acknowledging Palestinian pain I f After hearing an interview with the author, I got the book The interview was better than the book.One strength of the book was insight in some moments of what it feels like to be a Jew, what 2000 years of longing for return to Zion mean to at least one man One weakness is the residual of rationalization and self justification that intrudes,early on than later Disclaimer I am neither Jewish nor Palestinian In the early chapters there were moments of acknowledging Palestinian pain I found thesetoken than convincing though I plan to read the prior book a...There are few things in the world todaycomplicated than establishing and keeping peace in the Middle East though we were led to believe that Jared Kushner was going to sort it out in a matter of weeks, ha The Jewish Palestinian situation in Israel has certainly haddowns than ups over the last 60 years, but Halevi s collection of open letters is as educational as it is thought provoking and inspiring It s truly a peace offering a literary olive branch extended to his neighbours There are few things in the world todaycomplicated than establishing and keeping peace in the Middle East though we were led to believe that Jared Kushner was going to sort it out in a matter of weeks, ha The Jewish Palestinian situation in Israel has certainly haddowns than ups over the last 60 years, but Halevi s collection of open letters is as educational as it is thought provoking and inspiring It s truly a peace offering a literary olive branch extended to his neighbours with w...Yossi Klein Halevi s humanity is evident on every page of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor He is a good man and a beautiful writer But I cannot agree, as some have said, that he is an original thinker For anyone who has closely followed the Israeli Palestinian conflict and knows something of its history, it requires no particular originality to recognize that the claims of both sides have substantial call on justice As an American Jew and a strong supporter of Israel, I have long appreci Yossi Klein Halevi s humanity is evident on every page of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor He is a good man and a beautiful writer But I cannot agree, as some have said, that he is an original thinker For anyone who has closely followed the Israeli Palestinian conflict and knows something of its history, it requires no particular originality to recognize that the claims of both sides have substantial call on justice As an American Jew and a strong supporter of Israel, I have long appreciated that the Palestinians have a compelling story to tell But the fact is I m no longer interested in hearing it How can I be, given the Palestinians unremitting intransigence, their rejection without counteroffer of generous Israeli proposals for a two state solution, the Palestinian Authority s pension payments for the murder of Israeli men, women and children, and the Holocaust denial and gross anti Semitism of Mahmoud Abb...

08 August 2018

Yossi Klein Halevi