Life at the Crossroads – A History of Gaza – by Gerald Butt

Life at the Crossroads – A History of Gaza 
by Gerald Butt

Life at the Crossroads gives the rich history of Gaza from ancient times until the present. The strategic importance of the area geographically is addressed as a crossroads of culture. The role of Gaza in the current conflict with Israel is analyzed in its historical context.The book culminates with the two intifadas and the Israeli war on Gaza in 2008-09, explaining the territory 's association with the development of the Islamic movement within the Palestinian community.This book reveals the rich history of Gaza. Continuously inhabited for more than 3,000 years at a key strategic crossroads of the region, it has witnessed the rise and fall of dozens of kingdoms and dynasties. As well as considering the early period, the age of the Pharaohs and the Philistines of the Bible, Life At The Crossroads includes accounts of the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras. The coming of Islam, the interlude of the Crusades and the long period of Ottoman domination bring the story up to the First World War. The crucial history of Gaza in the 20th century is discussed in the period of the British Mandate and the conflicts with Israel.

Language: English
ISBN: 9789963610396
2010, paperback,  264 pages
 

Book Condition: New

"This is a comprehensive yet concise chronicle of Gaza's history from ancient times to the end of the 2008-2009 Israeli war against the territory's Hamas-led administration. The author, a former BBC Middle East correspondent, illustrates the part of his narrative that deals with recent times with material taken from interviews with Gaza residents. The story he tells is grimly ironic: A prosperous trading city at the crossroads of successive civilizations has been forced, in the space of a century, into poverty and isolation. This book is particularly useful for its succinct account of Gaza's role in Palestinian politics from the start of the first intifada onwards."

Book Review by Edward Fox