4thace reviewed Kingdom of Olives and Ash by Dave Eggers
Testimony from the contested areas in Israel
4 stars
This book came out seven years ago but still has an immediacy these days because of the war between Israel and Hamas. A group of writers each contribute chapters to the volume based on their experiences in the Palestine communities in Israel in the West Bank and Gaza. The origin of this project was organized by the group Breaking the Silence which is made up of ex-Israeli Defense Forces troops who witnessed the lives of the Palestinians they were responsible for policing. The chapters differ in styles, in settings and in details, but there are so many accounts of abusive detentions, capricious arrests, and fatal shootings without consequences it becomes hard to doubt the veracity of the reports. The many types of daily humiliations, the outbreaks of unexpected hostility or outright violence, the bureaucratic obstacles to movement and other impediments to living an ordinary life also recur in a nearly …
This book came out seven years ago but still has an immediacy these days because of the war between Israel and Hamas. A group of writers each contribute chapters to the volume based on their experiences in the Palestine communities in Israel in the West Bank and Gaza. The origin of this project was organized by the group Breaking the Silence which is made up of ex-Israeli Defense Forces troops who witnessed the lives of the Palestinians they were responsible for policing. The chapters differ in styles, in settings and in details, but there are so many accounts of abusive detentions, capricious arrests, and fatal shootings without consequences it becomes hard to doubt the veracity of the reports. The many types of daily humiliations, the outbreaks of unexpected hostility or outright violence, the bureaucratic obstacles to movement and other impediments to living an ordinary life also recur in a nearly overwhelming way. It is hard not to come away with the conviction that something has to change, not only for the Palestinians but for the health of Israel. The current armed conflict makes this feel as far off as ever.