Benny Morris

It turns out I was wrong about Benny Morris' book. Those of you who read my review will know that I was curious about the fact that the book had received few reviews. Well, things are heating up now. The Journal of Palestine Studies, always on the hunt for any book which might undermine the Palestinian National Narrative, has published two articles on the subject in their latest issue, one an apparent rehash of Joel Beinin's rant in MERIP, and another a reprint of a 1959 article written by Walid Khalidi (is he a relation of Rashid?), who might be known as the father of the National Narrative (with Edward Said as is its most successful promoter).

The article by Khalidi has been reprinted because the editors think that Morris revived the claim that Arab leaders called on the Palestinians to leave. Had the editors actually read the book, they would have known that Morris makes no such claim - he merely argues that leaders DID allow for limited evacuation in a number of cases, which contributed to the general chaos. The cases he documents are clearly backed up by evidence, and I don't see how a 1959 article, can rebut that (I am also sceptical of his use of Arab sources, since most of this type of material is off-limits to most historians and thus difficult to verify). For all the hay about the Israeli Establishment VS. the "New Historians", the real unmoving establishment exists on the other side, embodied by this selfsame journal.

In any event, the real fireworks will start after Efraim Karsh's article on the book comes online in MEQ. Karsh, you will recall, wrote the most direct assault on the "New Historians", and has fought Benny Morris tooth and nail ever since. I highly doubt that Morris will take it lying down, so things should be interesting. Stay tuned.