About the Author

Yaacov Lozowick is the director of the archives at Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Museum, and the author of Hitler’s Bureaucrats: The Nazi Security Police and the Banality of Evil.

Reviews

“An intelligent polemic. . . . Largely persuasive.” –The New York Times Book Review

“Essential. . . . Lozowick contends that the story of Israel is, crucially, the story of its wars–and that any attempt to evaluate Zionism must be anchored in the larger context of the morality of war.” --National Review

“Unusually illuminating. . . . Liberal American critics of Israel who wonder why Israeli intellectuals don’t share their views will find Right to Exist eye-opening.” –Philadelphia Inquirer

“Where has this book, or others like it, been all this time? . . . A powerful handbook for anyone interested in Israel.” –The New York Post

“[Lozowick] concedes basic justice in the Palestinian cause, and he deals respectfully with the arguments made by both sides. . . . He is also honest about such matters as the historic cohabitation of Muslims and Jews.” --Los Angeles Times Book Review

Longtime peace activist Lozowick (director of archives, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem; Hitler's Bureaucrats) here reviews the history of the return to Palestine, from early Zionism to the al-Aqsa intifada in early 2003. His argument is based on the concept of "just war" and on the unbroken history of the Jewish people. He justifies many actions as self-defense and praises Israeli restraint in not targeting civilians in conflict. When Israeli actions fall short of his moral standard, he is quick to criticize his own government. However, not all readers will agree with his assumption that right, where it exists in this conflict, is always on Israel's side and never with the Arabs-a point he does not prove but only assumes. However, his command of the material is impressive, which leads him to differ with the story presented by the news media. A similar but now obviously dated book is William O'Brien's 1991 Law and Morality in Israel's War with the PLO. This new book will challenge informed readers to question their assumptions about a prominent issue. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries.-Marcia L. Sprules, Council on Foreign Relations Lib., New York Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

"An intelligent polemic. . . . Largely persuasive." -The New York Times Book Review

"Essential. . . . Lozowick contends that the story of Israel is, crucially, the story of its wars-and that any attempt to evaluate Zionism must be anchored in the larger context of the morality of war." --National Review

"Unusually illuminating. . . . Liberal American critics of Israel who wonder why Israeli intellectuals don't share their views will find Right to Exist eye-opening." -Philadelphia Inquirer

"Where has this book, or others like it, been all this time? . . . A powerful handbook for anyone interested in Israel." -The New York Post

"[Lozowick] concedes basic justice in the Palestinian cause, and he deals respectfully with the arguments made by both sides. . . . He is also honest about such matters as the historic cohabitation of Muslims and Jews." --Los Angeles Times Book Review