I read a biography of Queen Alexandra by Georgina Battiscombe, and it was a nice, diverting read but pretty pointless. I then read Sandy Tolan's Lemon Tree, about the journey of an Israeli Holocaust survivor towards non-retribution in her friendship with a Palestinian terrorist. This book was given me by a pacifist friend, and I can certainly see why he is interested in having as many people as possible read it. I found myself quibbling with certain historical details reported in the book, principally of course the battle of Deir Yassin. There is no doubt, however, that whatever the truth at Deir Yassin, the inaccuracies in its reporting did frighten many Palestinians into leaving Israel. Do I believe the non-retribution is the way to deal with conflict of any type? I think it is by far the most civilized and ideal way. Do I think this has potential to really solve problems in the Middle East? Not for a long time. The problem is that I don't feel I as an outsider can make that suggestion to anyone who lives there.
I've also read an issue of The New Yorker.
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