Ghosts of a Holy War: The 1929 Massacre in Palestine That Ignited the ArabIsraeli Conflict

An awardwinning journalist presents an evenhanded, thoroughly researched examination of the ArabIsraeli conflict, and illustrates how a shocking yet littleknown massacre one century ago in what was then Palestine became ground zero of a war that continues to devastate.[A] compelling story. . . . If you are going to read one book to help you understand the current Middle East tragedy, this is it.Yossi Klein Halevi, senior fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute, and author of the New York Times bestseller Letters to My Palestinian NeighborIn 1929, in the sacred city of Hebronthen governed by the British Mandate of Palestinethere was no occupation, state of Israel, or settlers. Jews and Muslims lived peacefully near the burial place of Abraham, patriarch of the Jewish and Arab nations, until one Saturday morning when nearly 70 Jewish men, women, and children were slaughtered by their Arab neighbors. The Hebron massacre was a seminal event in the ArabIsraeli conflict, key to understanding its complexities. The echoes of 1929 in Hamass massacre of October 7, 2023, illustrate how little has changedand how much of our perspective must change if peace is ever to come to this tortured land and its people, who are destined to share it. Noted journalist Yardena Schwartz draws on her extensive research and wideranging interviews with both sides to tell a timely, eyeopening story. She expertly weaves the war between Israel and Hamas into a historical framework, demonstrating how the conflict today cannot be understood without the context of ground zero of this centuryold war, which began long before the occupation, the settlements, or the state of Israel ever existed.