American Intifada - by Uri Kaufman (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Why are progressives so hostile to Israel?Listen to commentators and a pattern quickly emerges: the more liberal the speaker, the more likely they are to attack Israel. Worse, many liberals say things about Israel that are patently false. After the October 7 Hamas attack, Barack Obama said that Israel had "unclean hands" because of the "unbearable occupation". The trouble was, there was no occupation. Israel had withdrawn from Gaza almost twenty years before. With his acclaimed wit, historian Uri Kaufman answers the riddle by examining the phenomenon through the distorting lens of race. Simply put, Israelis are perceived as a white group of privilege, while Palestinians are perceived as people of color. For progressives, fighting for people of color is the core value that crowds out all other considerations, no matter the facts. It all results in a strange upside-down world where liberals attack Israelis who share their values, while embracing Palestinians who reject them.

Review Quotes

"A timely, provocative and startlingly original explanation of the left's Intifada against the only democracy in the Middle East."

"A timely, provocative and startlingly original explanation of the left's Intifada against the only democracy in the Middle East."--Ben Shapiro, Columnist and Commentator

"For too long, Israel has been the subject of unfair and untrue attacks by politicians, professors and the press. Whether one agrees or disagrees with all its conclusions, this well-researched, thought-provoking book is an important contribution to understanding and overcoming the phenomenon."--Alan Dershowitz, Professor, Harvard Law School

"In American Intifada, Uri Kaufman dissects the ideological betrayal of Israel by Western intellectuals and media, a phenomenon laid bare in the aftermath of Hamas's heinous October 7 attack. This book is both a historical reckoning and a moral challenge, asking why those who champion human rights remain silent--or complicit--when Israel is targeted. A gripping and essential work for understanding the intersection of modern antisemitism and the geopolitics of our time. It reveals how ideology, ignorance, and apathy have converged to distort the moral landscape. Drawing on chilling firsthand accounts and incisive critiques of Western media and politics, Kaufman illuminates the battle for truth amidst the propaganda. This book is a wake-up call--a reminder that the defense of Israel is not just a Jewish cause but a defense of shared democratic values."--Malcolm Hoenlein, Former Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations

"Uri Kaufman has written a fascinating, comprehensive study of one of the major issues of our time. It is a significant step toward understanding the emotions, and distortions, surrounding the Middle East."--Al D'Amato, Former United States Senator (R. NY)

About the Author

Uri Kaufman is the author of Eighteen Days in October: The Yom Kippur War and How it Created the Modern Middle East (St. Martin's, 2023), selected by The Financial Times in 2023 as one of the year's best history books. His work has appeared in Foreign Affairs, Newsweek, The Jerusalem Post, The Independent, and numerous other publications. He lives in Lawrence, New York with his wife and four children.