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    The Only Language They Understand: Forcing Compromise in Israel and Palestine
    The Only Language They Understand: Forcing Compromise in Israel and Palestine
    The Only Language They Understand: Forcing Compromise in Israel and Palestine
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Only Language They Understand: Forcing Compromise in Israel and Palestine

    Written by Nathan Thrall

    Narrated by Stephen R. Thorne

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Scattered over the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea lie the remnants of failed peace proposals, international summits, secret negotiations, UN resolutions, and state-building efforts. The conventional story is that these well-meaning attempts at peacemaking were repeatedly, perhaps terminally, thwarted by violence.

    Through a rich interweaving of reportage, historical narrative, and powerful analysis, Nathan Thrall presents a startling counter-history. He shows that force has impelled each side to make its largest concessions, from Palestinian acceptance of a two-state solution to Israeli territorial withdrawals. This simple fact has been neglected by the world powers, which have expended countless resources on initiatives meant to diminish friction between the parties. By quashing any hint of confrontation and providing bounteous economic and military assistance, the United States and Europe have merely entrenched the conflict by lessening the incentives to end it. Thrall's important book upends the beliefs steering these failed policies, revealing how the aversion of pain, not the promise of peace, has driven compromise for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMay 16, 2017
    ISBN9781541471719
    Author

    Nathan Thrall

    Nathan Thrall is the author of The Only Language They Understand: Forcing Compromise in Israel and Palestine. His essays, reviews, and reported features have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, the London Review of Books, and The New York Review of Books, and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. He spent a decade at the International Crisis Group, where he was director of the Arab-Israeli Project, and has taught at Bard College. Originally from California, he lives in Jerusalem.

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    Reviews for The Only Language They Understand

    3.5/5

    23 ratings9 reviews

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    • 2/5
      As the world reacts to the latest horror of victims in Syria, should we look or turn away in despair? Do we even have a contributing role?Nathan Thrall has looked and deeply into the political activity and the economic effects behind terrible human suffering in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. This book starts with a lengthy essay outlining the conflict and many efforts to bring peace through many years followed by shorter focused articles about particular processes and places such as Gaza. This could not have been an easy book to have written and a more difficult book to have lived. it is not an easy book to read. Is it our duty? If we read novels for insight into human character, this is a non-fiction look into the darkest recesses of human character. It is not novel in today's world.One thread through the book is the detailed line of American Presidents and diplomatic efforts to influence some construct for peace. These efforts have been earnest but naïve even with years of expertise. Agreements from Camp David to Oslo are examined and American diplomatic views are grouped and examined. The American defense expenditures with this conflict alone are staggering. What do we have to show for this? Has this advanced much beyond an uneasy status quo? What kind of country is Israel becoming in the eyes of the world? How will demographic changes affect the region? Is a so-called two-state solution viable any longer? The author argues that only force such as serious sanctions on Israel tied to political mandates will get real progress toward Palestinian independence and eventual peace. Another alternative is more of the same. I just don't know. I don't know.
    • 1/5
      For those interested in an original look at the Middle East conflict, you’d do well to look elsewhere. This is a poor journalistic effort that continually fails to achieve anything of worth. The premise of the book is not only flawed but simply missing. The thesis presented is flawed while the evidence is flawed and skewed toward only one side (US/Israel) taking away any agency from Palestinians, neighboring Arab states, or the Soviet Union/Russia. The chapters dealing with the Palestinians present them as if they are consistently reacting instead of making their own decisions/choices. Furthermore, if you're going to write a book about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict then at least have the decency to give equal weight and representation to both sides in your narrative. Thus, for instance, there is a minor mention of the Jordanian attack on the PLO in 1970, known as “Black September,” but not attempt to analyze why it happened and who did or did not condemn this action in the UN or around the world, as Israeli actions usually are. The same is true for actions by the Lebanese and Syrians against Palestinians; just a minor mention without any analysis or greater contextualization for why these events happened and what they meant in the greater scheme of recent Middle Eastern history. With the Palestinians forced out of every neighboring state and as tens of thousands fled Lebanon one would think they would have a similarly belligerent attitude toward Lebanon/Syria as they did/do toward Israel. Do they? Why don’t they? You won’t find the answer(s) here. Throughout this text the only equality that is evident is the weight given to words uttered by both sides, as if they fully and always represent reality and what would have happened if only two perfect sides perfectly cooperated with each other. The author relies on English language source material and produces a discussion that skims the surface of the region's history as he puts all the onus on the Israelis and Americans. Furthermore, the idea of 'forcing compromise' means nothing if there is no endpoint for which that 'compromise' is aiming for. Just because Israel has continually amended its goals and desires, both domestically and on the international arena, doesn't mean that 'force' (be it terrorist attacks, intifadas, or pressure from the United States) has resulted in a more peaceful Middle East or that attitudes about what needs to be done in the region have been altered to make future concessions that much easier/acceptable. The same holds true for the Palestinians. Regrettably, this book is a waste of time.
    • 5/5
      Thrall provides an unbiased perspective on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The fairness perspective, alone, makes this book a great read. While Thrall’s main thesis is that progress between Israel and the Palestinians has largely occurred through force – from internal or external entities, the astounding point of clarification is that Israel and the U.S. work together to maintain the status quo. The appearance of progress is enough to keep the situation in a constant state of slow evolution, with Israel gaining power, land, and influence slowly but surely. Once again, we see the evil of government influence – particularly that of the U.S. in not merely meddling in affairs, but funding the conflict with billions of American taxpayer dollars. Senior leaders are quoted as viewing the Palestinian plight as apartheid, yet those same leaders are powerless largely due to the American political system, with both Democrats and Republicans defaulting to support for Israel.This is a conflict that, once started, has become normalized and tends to exist with a lot of motion yet little to no movement. Israel has the advantage of force through military power and HEAVY backing, both politically and financially, from the U.S. government and taxpayers, as well as strong backing from the U.S. media. Palestinians have a fractured leadership with no true movement for progress. Those fighting for Palestine have primitive methods of using force, and this leads to terrorist attacks that garner attention. Those same attacks are used by the media and politicians to push any forward progress back to the status quo.The American taxpayers and voters are funding this conflict both financially and theoretically. Until that changes, the status quo will remain. Thrall provides a well-researched book for anyone who wishes to better understand – without a heavily preconceived perception – the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
    • 3/5
      Well, that was depressing. A collection of essays on the unending struggle; the title comes from early essays arguing that Israel and Palestinian organizations only make concessions when people, including the US, give up on “peace” and particularly only when they’re suffering setbacks. (Since a setback for Israel is a victory for Palestine and vice versa in most cases, one can see how this would make for difficulty.) The Oslo agreement got the PLO invested in keeping the West Bank in line, turning it “from a protector against an occupying army into an agglomeration of self-interested businessmen securing exclusive contracts for it,” and implicated Palestinians in daily collaboration. The US, of course, won’t even think about using most of the possible leverage on Israel it has because that’s not politically feasible: “Listening to them discuss how to devise an end to occupation is like listening to the operator of a bulldozer ask how he can demolish a building with his hammer.” The US also prevents other third parties from taking part in the process in a meaningful way. There are also a number of other depressing descriptions of/points about the Palestinian situation, including how Israeli police have given up on areas in the West Bank that the Palestinian Authority is forbidden to police, turning them into law-free zones whose residents must still pay taxes. And, in terms of some agreement that would involve Palestinian acceptance of land trades, or a partial area of control, Thrall argues that the problem is that the parties would be “trading fundamentally unlike assets.” Palestinians would give up their intangible moral claims, “acquiescing in the denial of their right to return and bestowing legitimacy on their dispossessors by recognizing the vast majority of their homeland as a Jewish state.” Israelis would commit to physically withdrawing from some land they control now. But the difference is, that once the parties accepted the trade, the Palestinians’ intangible legitimacy would disappear (he says, though I don’t necessarily follow that), and Israel would still have the land until a final settlement was reached.
    • 4/5
      This book of essays about the ongoing conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is very interesting reading. The author attempts to be fair about analyzing the costs and benefits to each party of compromising on various key issues. In doing so, he makes a persuasive case that the costs are too high and the benefits too meager for either side to make a compromise that would bring about a workable solution. Some of the essays provide a history of the conflict and the diplomacy concerning its resolution (including very recent history.); the others analyze the diplomacy and why each attempt failed. I found both the history and analysis compelling reading, and would recommend this book to a friend with an interest in this topic.
    • 4/5
      Having lived in Egypt for many years this is a fair and honest book about the conflict. US readers are usually only aware of the Israeli side of the issue. This book follow the history and the efforts to maintain peace. Easy to read, the book is in a series of essays about the conflict under five main topics. Those topics are forcing compromise, collaboration, confrontation and negotiations. Each chapter is dated so the reader has a timeline of history.Currant and reflective of the role this conflict plays in the region. We forget that the Arabs conquered this area thousand years ago and most natives still claim their heritage before the arabs. I remember clearly Egyptians saying I am Egyptian not Arab.Excellent read and one that should be read by all who want a fairer picture of the situation than is seen here in the United Sates.Received as a review book from Library thing.
    • 4/5
      Nathan Thrall is a journalist and senior analyst for the International Crisis Group. He lives in Jerusalem and has written extensively about the Arab-Israeli conflict. His first book is not all new material. The first third of the book is new and recaps the history of diplomatic attempts to resolve the conflict. The remainder of the work contains essays written at various times by the author with the date of publication noted at the end of each chapter. This creates a choppiness and certain amount of repetition that detracts from the overall effect of this being a single integrated effort. But with this being said, the author presents a compelling argument that the only diplomatic progress made since the 1967 war has been the result of force applied to the parties involved. Thrall writes with a clear journalistic voice. He knows and has interviewed many of the individuals involved on both sides of the conflict. His approach is even-handed and he tries to be as objective as he can in such fraught circumstances. On this subject most people have already chosen sides, so much that is written comes with a clear pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian slant. I did not detect that kind of clear bias and the author is to be commended for that difficult feat. What emerges is some of the best reportage and analysis I have read concerning the conflict, and the attempts made to resolve it.I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in taking a fresh look at this Middle East conflict which seems as if it will go on without end. In fact, I have found that this work has changed some of my own opinions on the Arab-Israeli conflict, which is just about the best compliment I can make. While I still consider myself a supporter of Israel, it is clear that it bears much, maybe even most, of the responsibility for the Palestinian refugee problem, their horrible living conditions, and for the lack of progress toward any sort of final resolution to the problems of this beleaguered part of the world. What also seems clear, and is the point of this book, is that there will be no resolution unless the parties are forced to reach one. This holds particularly to Israel which seems to find the current stalemate far preferable to the perceived pain of a comprehensive settlement.
    • 3/5
      The peace process that has eluded Israel and Palestine is explored in this new book on the apparently unsolvable Arab-Israeli conflict. Author Nathan Thrall who’s a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, offers, under the cloud of “Forcing Compromise” a detailed history of the worlds failed efforts to reach a fair peace accord in the Middle East. The problem is more than West Bank settlements, recognition of the State of Israel, the eventual status of Jerusalem, or even the number or legal status of refugees. It is an entrenched and well-earned distrust on both sides. Writing mostly of Israeli activities and American governmental reactions Mr.Thrall reviews with the reader the failures of Camp David and the Oslo agreements to name two. Leaaders of Israel from Menachem Begin, thru Benjamin Netanyahu were and are wrong; also negotiators such as Marin Indyk, Dennis Ross, and John Kerry equally to blame. The author shows us in various ways he feels that many American presidents were, too easy on the Israelis. Mr.Thrall states that rather increased American and European pressure on the parties would be or how it would work without elaborating on what that pressure would be. Meanwhile today Arabs and Israelis accept the status quo as their best alternative. The Arab nations in the Middle East and the Arab League’s support of Hamas (which runs Gaza and whose main goal is still the destruction of “the Zionist entity”) are not recognized as threats to peace by Mr.Thrall. Each side here faces real and and basic problems: rockets, suicide bombers, checkpoints, land grabs, and internecine conflicts. However, as earnest as he is in highlighting the problems, Mr.Thrall remains I feel partial and selective in investigating any of the truths in them. At a White House press conference in February, Trump said that while "the United States will encourage a peace and really, a great peace deal," it will be up to the Israelis and the Palestinians themselves to figure out how to make it happen. Mr.Thrall feels that this is the kind of approach least likely to yield results. Mr. Thrall is able to make a strong case that instead of leaving the Israelis and Palestinians alone or mildly warning them both of the dangers facing Israeli democracy if a two-state solution isn't achieved,rather the only weapon in the US arsenal that has ever produced meaningful gains on the issue is force; diplomatic, economic, for over the past 25 years weve seen the opposite, a policy directed toward building "faith" and "trust" and avoiding the use of force at all costs.
    • 4/5
      This review is based on an advanced reader’s edition. Thrall presents a detailed political and diplomatic picture of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with heavy emphasis on the Israeli-US and Palestinian-US diplomatic exchanges. It is unbiased—the positions of both factions are treated with an even hand. “They” in the title is meant to refer to both parties. Other than the first chapter which serves as an overview, topics focus on different aspects of the conflict rather than a chronological unfolding of events. Consequently, material is often repeated. The author has included the dates when the chapters were written underscoring that the book is not intended as a history although historical happenings are discussed if they influenced diplomatic and political moves. (An event omitted but having a lasting effect on US-Israeli relations is the USS Liberty incident during the Six-Day War in 1967.) An implied conclusion reached by Thrall is that the only resolution to the impasse is a forced compromise. Neither party is likely to accept anything other than a forced compromise. Many offers have been presented in the past but it has become apparent that an impasse is preferable to a solution by both sides. Compromise—either forced or negotiated—would seem to be a logical solution but difficult to envision; culture and heritage cannot be compromised and territorial apportionment ineffective. The book is not a primer and requires more than superficial understanding of the situation. I was often lost in the mass of detail and parade of characters, political parties and nomenclature. The advanced reader’s edition reviewed had no index which may be included in the released edition. That might be of assistance but a glossary would be of even greater use.