The Haj, Uris - B-

         This novel is a vast, sweeping, panoramic look at Palestine in the first half of the 20th century. Although there are Turks, Bedouin Arabs, Hashemites, French, Christians, and British, this is the story of the contest between the Jews and the Palestinian Arabs. We see it through the eyes of Ibrahim, Muktar of Tabah, and Gideon Asch, Secretary of a neighboring Kibbutz. In the 1920s, the Kibbutzim prospered, clearing swamps and making the desert flower while the Arabs looked on. As the war approached, the British cut off Jewish immigration out of concern over Arab opposition. After the war, Ibrahim understood that the stories of the death camps would lead to more Jews coming to Palestine, even if the British were trying to keep them out. When the UN announced the partition of Palestine in late 1947, the British announced they were leaving on May 14, 1948. The Arabs raged and declared their intention to finish Hitler's work. When the fighting began, Arab leaders encouraged their people to depart while they defeated the Israelis. Ibrahim had no desire to leave his village, but soon the violence was all around. His old friend, Gideon, helped his family escape, but Ibrahim suffered the loss of not only his home, but his identity and all of his history. The residents of Tabah were horrified by the conditions on the roads,  and the refugee camps, sinks of dependency and despair. When Ibrahim's oldest, Kemal, was killed, he was made a martyr for the cause. The camps further demoralized Ibrahim. When his daughter Nada sought to be more than another hidden Muslim woman, he committed the ultimate horror while defending the family's honor.

           This four-decade-old novel was criticized for being too pro-Israeli. It puts the onus on the Arab leadership for their people's flight and ignores the Israelis' role. I believe it aptly depicts the hatred on both sides, a hatred that will allow this eighty-year-old conflict to continue indefinitely. It has been decades since I've read a Michener or Uris treatise that covers vast topics and multiple generations. I don't think I'll be rushing back to the genre.