This is going to be hard. I really feel like I have to do this book, and its author, justice by writing the most insightful book rant yet. Not sure I can do that – but I’ll try!
From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L Friedman covers the author's time in Beirut and Lebanon from 1979 to 1989. Friedman was the
New York Times Middle East correspondent during the Lebanese Civil War. The book won the National Book Award and the Overseas Press Club Award when it was published in 1989. Friedman has also won the Pulitzer Prize three times – the first time for an article he wrote on the Sabra and Shatila (Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon) massacres in 1982, which are covered in this book.
It’s clear from Friedman’s subsequent books and columns that he’s something of an activist. He still writes for the New York Times and his twice-weekly column is syndicated to hundreds of newspapers around the world so his opinion and expertise are obviously highly sought after. He’s also written books on globalisation and the role of America in tackling climate change, including The Lexus and the Olive Tree (1999), The World Is Flat (2005) and Longitudes and Attitudes (2002).
I visited the Middle East last year (Egypt, Jordan and Syria, as well as Turkey) and I’ve long been fascinated by the region. I loved all of the countries I visited there – Egypt is the most frantic and fascinating place I’ve ever visited (and I know it's technically North Africa, not the Middle East) and Syrians are among the most hospitable and interesting people I’ve met. But I also want to know what drives such intense nationalism in the region, what historical events have led to various claims on the land, and why the hell some of the people there do such awful things to each other!
From Beirut to Jerusalem is an interesting mix of history, anecdotes and personal experiences and feelings. I’m only half way through it, but it so far seems a balanced account of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the Lebanese Civil War. Obviously a lot more has happened in the region since 1989, but it’s perfect reading if you want to really understand the history of the area.
It’s not a dry or purely academic account. It’s very personal as well as factual. Friedman is a Jew, and he comes across as quite disillusioned. He seems to struggle not so much with his faith, as his faith in his fellow Jews, and the Zionist movement that Israel is so committed to.
But there’s also a certain pragmatism in his accounts of the Palestinian campaign – it’s obvious he’s frustrated at Arafat’s refusal to take what he can from Israel in terms of land or concessions, and the PLO’s insistence on fighting the ‘good fight’, with Arafat playing the folk hero to his people rather than the politician or diplomat who could potentially ease their plight. Friedman does try to understand this though, and his analysis of Arafat's and the PLO's actions go some way to demystifying their actions.
The book is occasionally shocking in its almost off-hand way of describing the aftermath of a car bomb, or the torture techniques of the Syrian or Mossad agents. There’s also a very wry sense of humour in some of his descriptions of scenes and the people he meets. This one, for example, was from an Israeli soldier, describing the Lebanese Christians:
‘The Phalangists were good for parades. Sartorially they were well put out. They were well-armed hairdressers. It was like a military fashion contest among them.’
It's dark, but it is amusing - I guess in an environment like Beirut in the early 80s you need to be able to see the funny side occasionally.
Friedman's writing has been criticised by some as being too ‘idiosyncratic’. He does use a lot of mixed metaphors and analogies – and he repeats them many times. I don’t really see this as a problem though. I think it gives the book a more inclusive feel and makes it much easier to read than a straight history book would be.
As I mentioned, I’m only half way through the book, but I am getting the sinking feeling that everything that’s happening is all too familiar. History really does repeat.
(By the way, Friedman is currently working on a new addition of his latest book,
Hot, Flat and Crowded. He's writing a new chapter and wants to include the best ideas from readers of his columns on how to solve the world's climate crisis. Check out the
Chapter 18 project on his website - and maybe make some suggestions!)
