Ten Myths About Israel

By: Ilan Pappe

Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross

The myths and reality behind the state of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—from "the most eloquent writer on Palestinian history" (New Statesman)

The outspoken and radical Israeli historian Ilan Pappe examines the most contested ideas concerning the origins and identity of the contemporary state of Israel.

The "ten myths"—repeated endlessly in the media, enforced by the military, and accepted without question by the world's governments—reinforce the regional status quo and include: Palestine was an empty land at the time of the Balfour Declaration; the Jews were a people without a land; there is no difference between Zionism and Judaism; Zionism is not a colonial project of occupation; the Palestinians left their Homeland voluntarily in 1948; the June 1967 War was a war of 'No Choice'; Israel is the only Democracy in the Middle East; the Oslo Mythologies; the Gaza Mythologies; and the Two-State Solution.

For students, activists, and anyone interested in better understanding the news, Ten Myths About Israel is another groundbreaking study of the Israel-Palestine conflict from the author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.

©2017 Ilan Pappe; Preface copyright 2024 by Ilan Pappe (P)2024 Tantor

A good summary of s vexing problem

The author debunks several myths about April that I was gonna write an essay about. Because the author has done so, I am excused. It’s very accurate and passionate. I knew most of the stuff, but it’s good to hear it organized and summarized.

wonderfully educational

chapter 9 and chapter 10 with the most eye-opening to me but the entire book was fantastic very educational

excellent explanations and points of view

🇵🇸 From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. 🇵🇸 ¡Viva Palestina libre!

A dishonest book, and a very frustrating listen

In the introduction, he says that he has no interest in being objective, truthful, or scholarly — and that he thinks academics who study Israel should also forsake objectivity and instead embrace struggle. And boy oh boy does the rest of the book deliver on this.

Numerous times I heard him say things I found fascinating and surprising… only to pause the book, look them up and discover that he distorted the facts, left out important bits of context, or just said untrue things. For example, he says that in 1948, the Arab world’s initial reaction to partition was mild and even supportive. No, no, no. Not true!

And then there are the “WTF” moments like when he says that Hamas is not a terrorist group, and that October 7, 2023 was an attack on military targets, where “some” Hamas fighters got carried away. JFC.

I wish I had taken notes so I could give more examples but seriously this book is awful.

Historians may harbor biases but they should at least TRY to be honest. This guy… this guy is proud to be dishonest. What a jerk.

I still want to hear more of the pro-Palestinian perspective, and I will listen to other books but this… this ain’t it. This is trash.

Straight propaganda

This book is long on assertions and low on evidence. It white washes acts of terror as “options of last resort” and demonizes overtures of peace as disingenuous with no supporting facts. It ignores the historical record in pursuit of a desired narrative.