Still Life with Bombers

January 26, 2004
Like many of his fellow Israelis, journalist Horovitz (A Little Too Close to God
) has had his optimism for peace quashed by the past three years of Middle East violence. "I am much more immediately conscious than I was just a few short years ago of the evil that men are prepared to do, and especially the threat posed by the death cult that is extremist Islam," he writes. In this work, a mixture of personal and political reportage, Horovitz eloquently depicts the anguished state of life in one of the world's most vexing trouble spots. In well-constructed vignettes and interviews, he also shows how the violence has affected personal life in Israel and the West Bank—whether it's his own family and friends on edge, waiting for the next terror attack, or Palestinians, who have to deal with Israeli checkpoints, raids and air attacks. He details the political events of the past few years—the failed peace offers at Camp David and Taba, the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada and the subsequent carnage on both sides. The editor of the news magazine the Jerusalem Report
, Horovitz constructs a strong case that while Israel has not been blameless, it is the Palestinians, specifically Yasser Arafat, who are primarily to blame for the current impasse. Horovitz's political arguments aren't new, but he lays out his case clearly and without stridency. This is one book that anyone who wants to learn about the current depressing state of affairs in the Middle East should read. Agent, Bennett Ashley.

November 1, 2003
Editor of the Jerusalem Report, Horovitz paints a "still life" of Israel after the collapse of the 2000 peace talks, claiming that Arafat tragically opted for terrorism over conciliation.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2004
For the past three years, both Israelis and Palestinians have lived under the constant daily threat of horrific violence while they attempt to carry out mundane, everyday tasks. Horovitz is a Jerusalem resident, author, and frequent commentator on CNN and BBC television. He has provided a grim, frequently depressing, yet oddly hopeful portrait of a land and people under siege. Beyond the sheer savagery and bloodstained streets one glimpses on television, Horovitz captures the chronic tension Israelis endure in the face of random violence. He puts a human face on both the terrorists and their victims. This is no one-sided effort to justify Israeli policies, since he vividly describes the grinding hardships and petty humiliations Palestinians endure under occupation. Ultimately, however, Horovitz staunchly maintains that all scenarios for a revived peace process will smash futilely against the wall set up by terrorists and Yassar Arafat's cynical manipulations of both men and events. This is a brutally frank appraisal of a people at war and of the chances of resolving the conflict.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2004
In his previous book, A Little Too Close to God, Jerusalem Post columnist Horovitz narrated the history of Israel as seen through the eyes of a reporter and a father. Here he continues his excellent analysis by looking at the bloody conflict in the post-9/11 world, commenting on how many Americans have changed their views now that the terrorism that long plagued the Middle East has dramatically reached our shores. With a perfect blend of humorous, everyday insightfulness and a commonsense approach to politics, Horovitz describes the lives of Israelis and Palestinians in terms everyone can understand, forsaking political diatribe for a clear, firsthand look at what's right and what's wrong with both sides in the deadly standoff. Anyone who wants to make sense out of the tragic Israeli-Palestinian conflict should definitely read this book, which with the earlier title belongs in all public libraries.-Joseph L. Carlson, Allan Hancock Coll., CA

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.