Thought Provoking - Rated 
Before reading this book, I must say I was quite ignorant on the whole issue of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. Living in the Britain it is quite easy to gain the perception that this conflict is a result of the hate that 'these people' breed. And I never really understood, or was taught, the real reasons of the dispute.
But as I read the book and learned the history of this conflict, and the injustices committed against the indigenous people, you begin to understand why history has panned as it has and why no lasting peace has been achieved.
I really do believe that this book must be read by all those trying to understand the plight of the Palestinian people, and by all those wanting peace. And you can begin to see how by acknowledging the events that took place in 1948, peace can finally be brought to this region.
biased to the point of losing credibility - Rated 
I am a lawyer working for a human rights organisation in occupied Palestine, and see on a daily basis the injustices inflicted upon the Palestinian people by the Israeli state. I stress this because I want everybody to know that I am not some kind of pro Israel Zionist.
Even with this background of mine, I found this book hopelessly biased and one sided, to the point that I really can't look at it as a serious piece of work. The author starts with his conclusion and selectively picks facts that he thinks will substantiate it. It seems to me that a true historian should be true to the facts, and let them speak for themselves; but the author simply has too much of an agenda. The book is full of wild assertions and sweeping conclusions that the author simply doesn't bother to try to back up -- and if you look carefully beyond his sensationalist language, you will find that there is much less substance than he pretends.
Take this Plan Daleth, which the author presents as the master plan to ethnically cleanse Palestine. This plan is referred to in passing time and time again throughout the book, but if you look carefully, you will see that it is only actually cited once, very briefly. Well, if you take five minutes to google this Plan, you will find the entire text, and if you read it you will see that it is very much open to question that ethnic cleansing is really what it is about. I'm not saying this to belittle the human rights violations that took place -- these are established facts, and people should be held accountable for them. But going about things this way will not get us closer to that goal.
And then there is the Consultancy (yes with a capital C), a senior policy advisory group that Ben Gurion had and which the author asserts was the main driving force behind ethnic cleansing. The Consultancy; doesn't this sound sinister, like some evil criminal organisation that James Bond would be fighting against? Well if you take a look at the endnotes, you will see that the author simply made the name up; he conjured it up out of thin air, no doubt to make the group seem ever more dark and mysterious. I'm sorry, but this is just not serious academic work.
It is extremely difficult to get a neutral, unbiased account of this conflict. Unfortunately, this book is not one of them. If you've got ten quid to spare and want something to skim through, go ahead as there is some interesting information here. But don't expect anything really enlightening.
A thoroughly researched and detailed account - Rated 
A thoroughly researched and detailed account of the forcible removable of Palestinians from the newly established state of Israel from 1948 onwards.
The author is a Jewish historian living in Israel which makes it harder to merely dismiss the contents, much of it rather disturbing, as Palestinian/Arab propaganda. There has been a systematic attempt to re-write much of the history surrounding the establishment of Israel and the author should be commended for resisting this in his work.
I found the style of writing full of dates and place-names hard going at times but then it is a history book after all. It provides essential background information to anyone who has an interest in the Israel/Palestine conflict. If more people were familiar with the history of this long conflict perhaps more could be done to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians who to this day are denied their right to recognition as a nation.
the ethnic cleansing of palestine - Rated
Any one who wants the true facts about the ethnic cleansing by the jewish army of the Palestinian people from their homes and the destruction of some 380 Palestinian villages and Towns then this is the book for you.
It is both factual and and an easy read.
A brave and enlightening book. - Rated
The Israeli historian, Professor Ilan Pappe has described himself as "public enemy No 1" in his own country for speaking out about the dehumanising treatment of the Palestinians. Pappe was condemned in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, and received many death threats which forced him to flee Haifa and seek sanctuary in England. The author thought seriously about using the term 'ethnic cleansing' in the title of his book but believes that the Israeli military and political elite are intent on minimising the numbers of Palestinians within its borders.
Pappe also wrote in 2005 that Israeli settlers in Gaza were being moved out to allow government forces a free hand to bomb the residents.
Ilan Pappe's brave and enlightening book deserves to be read especially by the members of the Israeli cabinet who unleashed the recent carnage and devastation in Gaza.
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