The Ascendance of Israel's Radical Right Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book does supply us with some interesting material about the history and nature of some Israeli political groups. In addition, it discusses whether or not there is a risk that such groups will bring about a civil war in Israel (as if groups on the radical left constitute no such threat).
There is a big mix of attitudes that this book attacks. They include religious fanaticism, vigilantism, disrespect for civil law, conservative politics, willingness to support Jewish towns in the West Bank, cynicism, paranoia, opposition to left-wing intellectuals, anti-democratic tendencies, threats of ethnic cleansing of Arabs (there are even concerns that the presumably politically correct ethnic transfer of Jews might get some folks in the Israeli radical right to engage in violence), and Jewish threats to claim rights on the Temple Mount.
I think Sprinzak is often reasonable in his descriptions of the various groups. And sometimes he's reasonably fair in explaining their arguments. But I think he could have done a better job here. In addition, many of the people who support the right of Jews to live in the West Bank are not members of the political Right, and I think Sprinzak is weak at explaining their arguments. Finally, a big problem that Sprinzak practically ignores is the enormous threat from many very right-wing Arabs, in Israel, in the West Bank, and in neighboring nations. Arab aggression and lies, as well as international support for such aggression and lies, have a big effect on the attitudes of moderate and liberal Israelis. Sprinzak implies that the Israeli Right Wing uses Arab aggression as an excuse to pursue improper policies. But I think we ought to ask ourselves just what policies do make sense when dealing with Arab violence.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Ascendance of Israel's Radical Right

Click here for more information about The Ascendance of Israel's Radical Right