The Arabs and the Holocaust

The Arab-Israeli conflict extends well beyond the wars waged on Middle Eastern battlefields. It encompasses a war of narratives centred around the two defining traumas of the conflict: the Holocaust and the Nakba. One side is accused of Holocaust denial, while the other is criticised for exploiting a tragedy and denying the tragedies of others.

In this groundbreaking book, eminent political scientist Gilbert Achcar delves into these conflicting narratives and examines their role in today's Middle Eastern dispute. He analyses the diverse Arab responses to the Holocaust, from its earliest indications, through the creation of Israel and the occupation of Palestine, and continues into our current era, critically assessing the political and historical contexts of these responses.

Achcar provides a unique ideological mapping of the Arab world. In doing so, he defuses an international propaganda war that has become a significant barrier to Arab-Western understanding.

A magisterial study of breath-taking empathy, examining one of the most painful and emotion-laden topics in the modern world with dispassion, sensitivity and high erudition — Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies, Columbia University

An erudite, perceptive, and highly original study — Avi Shlaim

A volume of tremendous historical importance — Robert Fisk, Independent on Sunday

A fascinating, subtle and original analysis of Israeli and Arab historical narratives — Simon Sebag Montefiore, BBC History Magazine

This exhaustive survey of Arabic sources is particularly important in correcting the many distortions circulated by polemicists seeking to paint Arabs and Muslims as anti-Semites. — Eugene Rogan, Times Literary Supplement

A refreshing and original study, showing clearly that Muslim anti-Semitism is neither universal, nor inevitable, nor subject to pat explanations. — The Economist