After deep reflection, I still lack the ability to properly give my feedback while remaining professional. This was an incredibly difficult read. Not only was it incredibly lengthy and full of citations and footnotes, it was dense with historical information and new vocabulary. I found myself looking up definitions, synopsis’ of political parties and events, and having to watch numerous supplemental material to actually follow along. Was this a good thing? I like to think so; it drove me to research a lot on my own, and after 50 or so pages the prose and vocabulary became more tolerable. If only it didn’t take another 600 pages/3 months to finish it.

In the grand scheme of things, that previous statement was not a complaint. Compared to the constant atrocities the Palestinian people have to go, the read was a breeze. This book not only outlined what those atrocities were, but who was responsible for them and the last ramifications of them. One aspect I never considered before was who allowed this to happen. I thought to myself, “What a ridiculous question…surely no world power would sit and let this happen!” Little to my ignorance, the people not just benefiting from this, but encouraging it, was none other than the good ol’ United States.

I can’t say I’m surprised. This wasn’t a turning point for me considering I’ve known, to some extent, the capabilities of this country to destroy. The biggest shock came from realizing the media in the United States was heavily involved in hiding the reality of what atrocities were committed by Israel. I never understood the big picture; just how involved Israel was in trying to not just eliminate the Palestinian people, but erase them from history. The work that went into setting up this genocide was not just known by the United States, but actively encouraged. Multiple president’s did their duty of committing to the cause of Israel, and ensuring they never went without a supply of arms or external support.

I did not know what it really meant to be a Zionist. I was on the ignorant side, that a solution could be met. I am now aware that there cannot be a compromise made if one side does not acknowledge the existence of the other. I also foolishly believed it must be on both sides. Both the Israeli and Palestinian people’s must not want to come to a compromise. However, this was so not the case. On many occasions, it was only the Palestinian people who wanted to reach a conclusion on the matter. If anything, it was very clearly both the United States and Israel preventing any progress. It was those two who vetoed numerous United Nations votes. It was those two who enabled the generals and officers of the IDF to pillage, murder, rape, mutilate, and genocide the Palestinian people, for nothing other than their own pride.

Chomsky does in the very beginning, state he is going to be neutral on the sides of acts of violence. If his accounts and references are accurate, then it’s exactly the opposite of how America has portrayed the process of finding peace. Most accounts of the Middle East will outline how disruptive the “terrorist threat” is, and how uncooperative the Palestinians are. We’ve already touched on the uncooperative part and how false that is; if this book is 650 pages, maybe 3 - 4 really go into the atrocities lay out by the Palestinians, while the rest is chock full of examples of Israel’s terrorist state identity. According to Chomsky, this genocide has always been a 1 sided affair, and it’s hard to argue otherwise.