Mark Braverman - Fatal Embrace

This book is absolutely required reading for anyone concernedas we all must bein finding a way to peace in the Middle East. The book knowledgeably explores the religious elements which have created barriers to peace. It is richly informative and both even-handed and deeply committed.

Harvey Cox, Research Professor of Divinity, Harvard University, and author, The Future of Faith

A brilliant bookvitally important for understanding the roots and abiding causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Marcus J. Borg, author of Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary

Mark Braverman has written a courageous, evocative book that merits close attention and continued pondering. It is a book with a critical edge and an urgent summons that calls for fresh decision making. This book is an invitation that must be heeded.

Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary, and author of The Prophetic Imagination

Fatal Embrace sounds the ancient themes of justice, first voiced by Israels prophets, at a moment when our need to hear them has rarely been more urgent. The terrible paradox of our age is that those religious communities who ordinarily lay compelling claim to the prophetic tradition, progressive Jews and Christians, fall strangely silent in the face of a moral catastrophethe increasingly brutal occupation of Pales-tineagainst which Isaiah or Jeremiah would have railed in unrelenting protest. No one has drawn up a more damning indictment of that silence than Mark Braverman; few have cried out with as much clarity or passion for Israels future. Unless we all hear such prophetic voices and respond, now, with real political resolve, it may be too late for Palestinians and Israelis alike.

Neil Elliott, Acquiring Editor of Fortress Press, and author of Liberating Paul and The Arrogance of Nations

A powerful and poetic call for examination and reflection. Courageous, provocative, and greatly deserving of our attention.

Sara Roy, Senior Research Scholar, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University

Mark Braverman offers us a profound, courageous, and illuminating encounter, from a deeply felt Jewish perspective, with the tragic and intractable conflict in Palestine. It is unsparing in its rejection of Jewish exceptionalism and the practices of the Israeli state, as well as of Euro-American and Christian complicity in the dispossession and violation of the rights of Palestinians. This book is essential reading for all who genuinely care about the future of Israel and the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Richard Falk, Professor Emeritus of International Law, Princeton University, and UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Occupied Palestinian Territories

A prophetic voiceclearly pronounced, humanly expressed, courageously raised. Braverman envisions a new shared and universal covenant for all humankind wherein Israelis and PalestiniansJews, Christians, and Muslimsunite in the pursuit of justice, peace, and reconciliation.

Naim Ateek, Director, Sabeel Liberation Theology Center, and author of A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation

In Fatal Embrace, Mark Braverman explores the complex and often conflictive relationship between Jewish tradition, Christian theology, and Zionist practice. Drawing on his own experiences and a detailed study of prominent Jewish and Christian writers, Braverman points the way to a future that respects past tragedies but is not imprisoned by them. Both Jews and Christians have much to learn from this thoughtful, courageous, and deeply personal book.

Stephen Walt, Professor of International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and coauthor of The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy

Mark Braverman has written a clarion call to action on the future of Israel and Palestine. Calling upon Jews and Christians of Conscience to analyze the past so as to create a future worth bequeathing to our children, Braverman traces his own journey as a Jew into the increasingly difficult terrain of the Middle East.

Marc Ellis, Director of the Center for Jewish Studies at Baylor University, author of Toward a Jewish Theology of Liberation

Is Zionism entitled to special treatment, given the tragic legacy of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust? Does the Bible trump international law? Mark Braverman insists no exception can be made for Israel. In this courageous book he exposes the dubious roots, erroneous logic, and devastating consequences of Zionist exceptionalism for Middle East peace. Braverman shows that support for Israel is just as strong among well meaning mainstream Christians as it is among fundamentalists and evangelical Christian Zionists who believe the Bible mandates the ethnic cleansing and colonization of Palestine. He shows how the failure of progressive Christians to challenge the inherent racism of Zionism (Jewish and Christian) continues to neutralize and undermine the peace process. Braverman demonstrates convincingly that it is the failure to confront Zionism that perpetuates anti-Semitism not the reverse. Zionism cannot hold interfaith dialogue hostage for ever. Friends must speak plainly if they really care for each other. This courageous book is a wakeup call for Jews and Christians, especially, but for all who yearn for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East.

Stephen Sizer, author of Christian Zionism: Road-map to Armageddon?, Zions Christian Soldiers, and In the Footsteps of Jesus and the Apostles

This is an important book. It needs to be read by both Jews and Christians to help overcome that fatal embrace that has caused so much harm to Jews and now to Palestinians.

Rosemary Radford Ruether, Professor of Theology, Claremont School of Theology, author of The Wrath of Jonah

CHRISTIANS, JEWS, AND THE SEARCH FOR PEACE IN THE HOLY LAND

MARK BRAVERMAN

Copyright 2010 by Mark Braverman
Map renderings by Sara Gates

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication
(Provided by Quality Books, Inc.)
Braverman, Mark.
Fatal embrace: Christians, Jews, and the search for
peace in the Holy Land / Mark Braverman.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
LCCN 2009935040
ISBN-13: 978-0-9840760-7-9
ISBN-10: 0-9840760-7-7
1. JudaismRelationsChristianity1945- 2. United
StatesForeign relationsIsrael. 3. IsraelForeign
relationsUnited States. 4. Jewish-Arab relations.
5. Peace-buildingIsrael. I. Title.
BM535.B73 2010 261.260904
QBI09-600176

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For Susie

Mark Braverman has written a courageous, evocative book that merits close attention and continued pondering. It is a book with a critical edge and an urgent summons that calls for fresh decision making. I have learned from it and am glad to commend it.