Pity the Nation: The Abduction of Lebanon
With the Israeli-Palestinian crisis reaching wartime levels, where is the latest confrontation between these two old foes leading? Robert Fisk's explosive Pity the Nation recounts Sharon and Arafat's first deadly encounter in Lebanon in the early 1980s and explains why the IsraelPalestine relationship seems so intractable. A remarkable combination of war reporting and analysis by an author who has witnessed the carnage of Beirut for twenty-five years, Fisk, the first journalist to whom bin...
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With the Israeli-Palestinian crisis reaching wartime levels, where is the latest confrontation between these two old foes leading? Robert Fisk’s explosive Pity the Nation recounts Sharon and Arafat’s first deadly encounter in Lebanon in the early 1980s and explains why the Israel–Palestine relationship seems so intractable. A remarkable combination of war reporting and analysis by an author who has witnessed the carnage of Beirut for twenty-five years, Fisk, the first journalist to whom bin Laden announced his jihad against the U.S., is one of the world's most fearless and honored foreign correspondents. He spares no one in this saga of the civil war and subsequent Israeli invasion: the PLO, whose thuggish behavior alienated most Lebanese; the various Lebanese factions, whose appalling brutality spared no one; the Syrians, who supported first the Christians and then the Muslims in their attempt to control Lebanon; and the Israelis, who tried to install their own puppets and, with their 1982 invasion, committed massive war crimes of their own. It includes a moving finale that recounts the travails of Fisk’s friend Terry Anderson who was kidnapped by Hezbollah and spent 2,454 days in captivity. Fully updated to include the Israeli withdrawl from south Lebanon and Ariel Sharon's electoral victory over Ehud Barak, this edition has sixty pages of new material and a new preface. “Robert Fisk’s enormous book about Lebanon’s desperate travails is one of the most distinguished in recent times.”—Edward Said Publishers Weekly Fisk, a former Middle East correspondent for the London Times , details violence, sundry political factions, the 1982 invasion of Israel, the efforts of the multinational peace-keeping force and the taking of Western hostages. ``A passionate and often angry book describing how Lebanon `humiliated the West, brought shame upon Israel, corrupted the Syrians and destroyed itself,' '' said PW . (Oct.)
PrefaceAcknowledgementsChronology of EventsPrincipal CharactersMap: The Divided City of BeirutMap: The Multinational Force in Beirut 1982-4Map: LebanonCh. 1Sepia Pictures on a Wall: Szymon Datner and the ash pits of Auschwitz1Ch. 2The Keys of Palestine: The foundation of Israel and the Palestinian diaspora12Ch. 3The Pied Piper of Damascus: The rise and fall of the Lebanese state48Ch. 4The Garden of Earthly Delights: Syrians, Palestinians and Israelis in Lebanon 1976-892Ch. 5The Gentleman from Marjayoun: The United Nations as a prisoner of Lebanon134Ch. 6Let Them Come!: The armies of Lebanon prepare for war 1980-2160Ch. 7No White Flags: Israel invades Lebanon June 1982199Ch. 8The Gravedigger's Diary: The Israeli siege of Beirut June - July 1982243Ch. 9Surgical Precision: The Israeli bombing of Beirut July - August 1982282Ch. 10Dawn at Midnight: The PLO leaves and the Israelis enter west Beirut August - September 1982319Ch. 11Terrorists: The massacre of Palestinians at Sabra and Chatila camps 16-18 September 1982359Ch. 12Pandora's Box: Reporting under siege401Ch. 13The 'Root': The return of the Multinational Force443Ch. 14Beirut Addio: The humiliation of the West in Beirut493Ch. 15The Retreat: The Israelis are forced out of southern Lebanon 1983-5537Ch. 16Wait for Me: 'Islamic Jihad' and the torment of Lebanon584Ch. 17Freedom: The Israeli army retreats behind its borders628Ch. 18The Massacre: Israeli's artillery slaughters 106 Lebanese at Qana669Bibliography691Index695
\ Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly\ Fisk, a former Middle East correspondent for the London Times , details violence, sundry political factions, the 1982 invasion of Israel, the efforts of the multinational peace-keeping force and the taking of Western hostages. ``A passionate and often angry book describing how Lebanon `humiliated the West, brought shame upon Israel, corrupted the Syrians and destroyed itself,' '' said PW . (Oct.)\ \
