Caroline Glick

From WWI and the League of Nations mandate system through Arafat and Bill Clinton to Obama/Kerry, this book goes broad rather than deep in making the case for a one state solution, and it works. The author did not get sidetracked with various variations or arguments for one state (such as arguments that Transjordan/Jordan is a Palestinian state or that Palestinians are Arabs and all sorts of Arab states were created post WWI), in fact, the style is more one of presenting (history, diplomacy, law) . The book also takes a look at likely responses to a one state solution, and this section is good, but for me is where it disappoints since leaves out the 2 most important likely responses -- the likely divine response, and the likely ummah response. Though religion is not totally left out in the book (brief mention, for ex, in discussing the Mufti of Jerusalem), book discussion of the dispute is mostly limited to Arabs (within the land and the neighbors) as immediate parties and USA, Europe, and UN as concerned parties, suggesting the ummah's hate for Israel is extremist rather than normative, and imo, that's a denial of reality. Besides the Islamic response, the response of the biblical God (YHWH) not only has no book section, but not even a sentence of acknowledgement that this is an issue, though He in the Bible most certainly has very specific things to say.

For myself as an evangelical reader who interprets the Bible in its ordinary sense (rather than a replacement theology, spiritualizing sense), parting what God calls "My land" is the one specified biblical NO for which judgment is promised to a nation (thus the main reason, of many, the Abraham Accords is disastrous), so rereading this book about NOT parting the land was a bit of encouragement, but only in that you-are-not-alone-while-it-all-goes-down kind of way, sadly encouraging.

This book came out pre-Trump so does not get into the outrageous Abraham Accords/Peace to Prosperity stuff, but given Biden's been talking up 2 state demands, this book is a relevant refresher.… (mere)

This may indeed be the most important book on Israeli policy published this decade. Well-researched with innumerable citations, Glick explains why the two-state solution proposed by the Oslo accords
is a complete and utter failure. Glick furthermore sets out in terrific detail the legal proof of Israel's sovereignty to Judea and Samaria and explains why fully incorporating those portions of the Jewish homeland under Israeli civil law is the best solution for peace in the region.

At the root of the conflict, Glick explains, is a jihadi mentality among Arabs committed to destroying Israel because they want the Middle East to be free of all Jews and Christians. Israel is the ancestral homeland of only one people -the Jews, whose history and continuous presence there for
4000 years stands alone and is proven over and over again by historical documents and artifacts, which the Islamic Jihadis are making every effort to destroy and erase with the complicity of
UNESCO.

Modern day Israel derives from the mandate of the League of Nations which gave all of the Mandate including Hashemite Jordan to the Jews to settle. The UN recommended partition in 1947 but the Arabs led by Al-Husseini, who was Hitler's henchman, rejected partition. Jordan then illegally occupied Judea and Samaria.

At the heart of this book is an analysis of the demographics of the region and a startling conclusion that PLO censuses of the area were false and that therefore incorporating Judea and Samaria into Israel would not affect the democratic character of it.

That's all well and good but your blood will boil when you read in exquisite detail about the farce of negotiations with the PLO, the
greatest con job in the history of the world. Israel at the behest of the US and Europe appeased the terrorists over and over again and no final agreement could ever be made because the terrorist Jihadi PLO
will only accept a Jew-free Middle East. Nothing will ever be acceptable
to the PLO but the ethnic cleansing of every Jew from Israel. They have never hid their goal but no one cares because they have succeeded in conning the world with smiles while never renouncing murder.

It is an infuriating book to read because it lays out step by step the trap Israel and the West have fallen into in pretending that a two state solution will ever satisfy the PLO terrorists who are committed to
ethnically cleanse Israel of Jews and have even made it a capital crime
to sell land to a Jew.

Appropriately one of the last chapters calls out Kerry for his Alice in Wonderland view of the region and his sick habit of justifying terror.
… (mere)

The Israeli Solution: A one state-plan for peace in the middle east is an excellent and very compelling argument for the abandonment of the "two-state solution". Just today, I heard that, though Israel had accepted a cease-fire, Hamas rejected it. So Israel still has to defend itself against their enemies who do not desire peace with them, but desire their annihilation instead. This has been the case for many years, beginning even before Israel even existed as a state.

In this book, Caroline Glick takes us on a trip through history to examine the Arabs' constant rejection a Palestinian state. As she puts it so well, "Israel's desire for peace with the Arabs has been amply proven". They have put themselves at risk multiple times, releasing their proven enemies from prison, giving up land that could be used as a base of attack against them, even approving the entry of known terrorists into the land they relinquished. In peace talks they have been willing to make huge concessions, some in particular that would make them greatly vulnerable to their enemies, all in order to have peace with the Arabs; but the Arab's have consistently rejected these offers. Glick shows that history makes it clear that the Arabs do not want peace with Israel, nor do they want a Palestinian state, they simply do not want Israel on the map of the world.

Reading this book really made me ashamed of America. We have consistently supported and deferred to the Arabs for 20 years or more, and we have never supported Israel, our ally, as we ought. Glick points out that "In 2013 alone, the US committed $440 million taxpayer dollars to direct financial support for the Palestinian Authority." I was appalled to learn about how much America has snubbed and spurned Israel, treating them as the 'bad guy' simply for trying to defend themselves, and despite Israel's proven desire for peace. Even President Reagan literally protected Israel's enemies from Israel sending in Marines to protect them from Israel's forces. It was embarrassing, frustrating, but also interesting to see the comparison of Obama and Bush's policy towards Israel. Surprisingly, Glick shows that they both favored the Palestinians, "The distinction between Bush and Obama is rhetorical, not real."

Glick shows the absurdity of the United States make Israel give up land for a Palestinian state, "This demand is without precedent in the in the history of warfare. There is no precedent of a civilian population, displaced by a war that their leadership started and lost, claiming a right to return to territory that they failed to conquer." By the same argument, America should start giving back the land they conquered from the Confederates, and then in turn, both the Union and Confederates should give America back to the British and then the "Native Americans" . And every country should be held to this standard and so the world will be in chaos with everyone trying to figure out what land belongs to whom as they go further and further back into history to see who had what land, and who should give it up to a certain people, and who that certain people should give it up to…and it won't end for a long time, if ever.

This book is a very concise argument, one that emphasizes the obvious in a readable way. This book serves as an excellent history lesson regarding the State of Israel and its relations with the United States. Glick has a good, logical, present day application of that history. There is repetition, but, in my opinion, it is done in a way that enhances the argument, rather than rendering it boring.

I highly recommend this book if you are interested in learning more about America's role in the Middle East conflict, or if you are wondering what position to take on the issue.

Thanks to Blogging for Books for sending me a free review copy of this book(My review did not have to be favorable)
… (mere)

The 'Shackled Warrior' is a collection of articles written by Caroline Glick originally for "The Jerusalem Post.” She has chosen some of her articles and has placed them into categories that comprise the chapters of the book. Her articles speak not just to political and cultural currents in Israel, but in the United States, Europe and the Middle East. Her articles show she has an understanding of the strategic importance of the events she writes about. And when you look at the dates of the articles you see that her insights were correct.

This journalist allows you to gain a clear and precise understanding on complex situations that have been allowed to take place to enable the terrorist and explains this as a struggle for freedom over oppression; right over wrong. She is also critical of her own adopted country that she loves. Israel's policies of appeasement over the last two decades and its own part in the enablement of terrorist. The articles show the strength of the citizens and soldiers of the United States and Israel and the self-serving and destructive policies of the "enlightened" elite of these countries and Europe. Of course in this complicity of the 'enlightened elite' falls most of the mass media that she explains empowers Palestinian and Arab propaganda tactics to work. Most of the world media seems not only willing but eager to put forth the terrorist propaganda and hide or subvert the truth.

It was a pleasure to read columns by a real journalist that does not worry about political correctness, but has an emphasis and concern on being correct with the facts presented in her columns. Glick is up front in her desire to insure the security of Israel and is cognizant of the true threats the nation face. Born in the United States, educated at Harvard and having served as a member of the Israeli Defense Forces gives her a good understanding about her subject material. She also worked as an embedded journalist with an American mechanized Infantry unit at the beginning of 'Operation Iraq Freedom' and gives a very clear view on the American soldiers view on the war and what they face as they moved quickly forward. If the free world's fight against Terror is of importance to you this book has to be on you reading list.… (mere)