Obstacle to Peace

Book Description

Praise for Obstacle to Peace

“Hammond’s book breaks new ground in ways that fundamentally alter our understanding of the conflict and how to resolve it.”

—RICHARD FALK, Professor Emeritus at Princeton and Former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, from the book’s Foreword

“Jeremy Hammond’s carefully documented and highly informative study of how Washington has joined Israel in undermining the efforts to achieve a peaceful political settlement of the Israel-Palestine conflict is a welcome and timely contribution, and one that focuses directly on a salient issue, all too often evaded.”

—NOAM CHOMSKY, author of Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel & The Palestinians

“Everybody’s got to read Obstacle to Peace: The US Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by Jeremy Hammond. It’s great! … It’s such an important book…. This is really the book I’ve been waiting for a long time to read.” … “Jeremy R. Hammond wrote the definitive scholarly account of the American role in the entire disaster.”

— SCOTT HORTON, host of The Scott Horton Show

“Given the intense focus and the passions aroused by the conflict it is rare to find a book or article that says something new but Jeremy Hammond’s Obstacle to Peace: The U.S. Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict does just that, deconstructing the prevailing narrative on the Middle East while also explaining in meticulous and fully documented detail why and how a succession of United States administrations has actually become the greatest impediment to a just settlement that would benefit both Palestinians and Israelis….To my mind his book is essential reading on Israel-Palestine….”

—PHILIP GIRALDI, former CIA officer and columnist for The Unz Review

“Obstacle to Peace must be reckoned with by all those who thought that the peace process initiated at Oslo in 1993 and overseen since then by the United States would bring forth both a Palestinian state and a long sought peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

—SCOTT MCCONNELL, review for Barron’s

“In our days of darkness, spreading ignorance, and absence of serious debate in public forums, we can take hope from the fact that some scholars still produce serious and informative books on the most critical issues of our time. If in the future policymakers again seek the guidance of truth, they will have the information at hand. One such book of truth is Jeremy R. Hammond’s just published Obstacle to Peace, a closely reasoned, heavily documented (68 pages of footnotes), fully indexed, readable book….”

—PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and a former editor of the Wall Street Journal

“Over the course of a book that is as meticulously detailed as it is readable, Jeremy Hammond explains how the US approach he correctly identifies as rejectionist is closing the door on peace in the Holy Land. We must learn the historical lessons Hammond outlines in Obstacle to Peace before that door is nailed shut for good.”

—MAX BLUMENTHAL, journalist and author of Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel

“In its detailed review of America’s role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Obstacle to Peace convincingly exposes USG complicity with Israel in blocking the peace process, undercutting a two-state solution (despite pious words to the contrary), resisting the demands of international law, disregarding war crimes, endorsing the Gaza blockade and opposing Palestinian statehood. The book also offers abundant evidence of pro-Israel bias in the mainstream media, the result of which has kept most Americans in the dark.”

— L. MICHAEL HAGER, review for Counterpunch

Amazon Customer Reviews

Sophie
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Obstacle to Peace: The US Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – A Must Read
Obstacle to Peace: The US Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict contains so many facts that were not being told thru mainstream media. The things that were being broadcast were tainted if not outright lies. References & footnotes in each chapter to help explain the storyline. The author reviews the history of the conflict which sets the tone going forward. I learned many new facts that were hidden from the Americans & other nations who were bamboozled. If they knew the entire hidden truth, the Middle East would be in a better place. The Israeli occupation is worse than apartheid. The US is not helping but getting in the way. Sixty years of BS. I have read other books on the topic and this one comes to terms with the truth and is able to defend it. Bravo! Highly recommended reading.

J M
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very well referenced and informative.
Good read. Jeremy Hammond is a great example of what journalists should be doing. Would recommend!

Laura Ludlam
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Must Read
Courageous in content and point of view, Jeremy Hammond’s book Obstacle to Peace sheds light on how the US led efforts to facilitate peace between Israel and Palestine are contrived in nature and serve to maintain the status-quo of violence and destruction. The implications of Israel’s targeted violence towards the Palestinians and the occurrence of widespread human rights violations are nothing short of frightening. We will undoubtedly look back on our own government’s involvement with remorse and regret. Making matters worse, the mainstream media’s version of events has obscured the truth, and the knowledge needed to address this humanitarian crisis effectively has been sacrificed. Obstacle to Peace elucidates these circumstances and allows readers to consider the conflict from a more informed and nuanced perspective so that we may be drawn towards meaningful and lasting action. As someone with previously limited knowledge on the subject, I’m incredibly thankful to have read Mr. Hammond’s book and will not hesitate to share it with others.

John Wayne Taylor
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well researched. Masterfully written.
Jeremy Hammond has done top-notch work, here. Regardless which people have your heart—-Israelis or Palestinians—-the information in this book will help you understand why the war between these two peoples goes on and on and on.

james shea
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ clear exposition of a very difficult, complicated topic
very good book; thoroughly researched, and factual; provides a solid refutation to much of the biased, inaccurate, and blatant propaganda that the western media has offered. after reading this, its clear that any peace talks are an Israeli stalling tactic, giving them time to prepare for more land grabs, and to expand the terrorist, criminal syndicate, of the likud party and zionism, globally.

Anarchy In Black
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A fantastic read from start to finish
A fantastic read from start to finish. Hammond’s style and his extensive use of direct, contextualized quotations is delightful even when the content itself is infuriating. Before reading this book, I already had an extensive knowledge of I-P up to Oslo, but it was not necessarily required to enjoy the book, as Hammond takes time to give more than adequate historical context whenever it is needed. This book makes an excellent companion to Mearsheimer and Walt’s “The Israel Lobby” and Neil Caplan’s “Contested Histories”.

L. Michael Hager
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Detailing the US role in blocking Middle East Peace
This articulate volume shows in well-documented detail how the US has colluded with Israel in blocking peace with the Palestinians. The unanswered question is why? Now we need a volume two that covers the 2014 Gaza war to the present. Hammond is a resourceful journalist who uncovers important facts previously undisclosed by a biased mainstream media.

MarMar
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Shocking read!
Stunning information. It is, for me not a scholar of international politics, a challenging read as I have to keep notes on the acronyms used, international law etc. But, it is shocking, an eye opener to problems between Israel & Palestine and the U.S. role in it. A must read.

Amal Flefel
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Five Stars
Excellent read! Full of facts that most Americans are not aware of!

DJE
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A view from the other side.
A great book. Gives a detailed description looking from the “other side” of the Israel-Palestine conflict. The detail, both verbal and numerical, is massive. Extensive references to back up the facts quoted. I believe that anyone wishing to understand this conflict would benefit from reading this book. Don’t read it if your heart breaks easily.

Amazon Customer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent book, essential reading
Even after having read only the first chapter of Jeremy Hammond’s “Obstacle to Peace” I can honestly say that I have learned a great deal about the situation in Palestine/Israel. I thought I was pretty well informed about it, but Mr. Hammond’s book has given a lot of information that I didn’t know. I can also say that it has been thoroughly researched & excellently well written (easy to read). I believe it should be mandatory reading for all High school students in the USA, & all around the world, but especially in the USA. Thank you, Jeremy Hammond! :)

Best Burglar
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong data
I am a Jewish student at the University of Oregon and a political science major with an strong interest in the Israel/Palestine conflict. After 3 years studying this issue I was so please to find “Obstacle to Peace”. Well written with lots of data that can easily be checked. This book has helped me in discussions with other students, to bring forth the real events and how they played out.

Richard G Ellefritz
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tour de Force
This book is a tour de force. Hammond’s rich, fact-based analysis extends well beyond platitudes to a deep integration of historical and contemporary research based on sources that could hardly be disputed. The book expects much of the reader, but gives a thorough accounting of how and why peace has not been achieved.

Hadrianus Management Group Inc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Done in from within
For those who wish to absorb a thoroughly cogent expose of the Israeli governments involvement in the complete and utter subjugation of American politics, this book is for you. Hammond lays it all out with a heavy trowel, but not forgetting the minute details of why, the American behemoth is the major protector of Israel, and exactly how we have been coerced to become so.

Steven Fornal
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Obstacle To Peace is one of the very best books out there for giving people a very clear …
I have been a serious student of this issue since 1967. I have read nearly every book available on the subject from all sides. Obstacle To Peace by Jeremy R. Hammond is one of the very best books out there for giving people a very clear and concise understanding of why, when both sides say they want peace, after all these years there is no peace.

I’m sure you’ve all heard the saying, “No justice, no peace?” Well, that, in a nutshell is what has happened in Israel vis-a-vis the indigenous Palestinians and their land. The United States has been the single worst obstacle to peace because it shields Israel from consequences for the deadly actions pursued. Israel stands in defiance of between 66 and 77 (depending on how one interprets them) UN Resolutions and any action proposed by the Security Council is vetoed by the US. Israel daily violates International Law (e.g., continuing to build the Separation Wall even though the World Court — a.k.a. International Court of Justice –rendered a decision that it was illegal), the Fourth Geneva Conventions (e.g., settling land that was gained via offensive 1967 Six Day War; collective punishment) and US Laws that prohibit the use of American weaponry on civilian populations and the funding of any nation illegally in possession of nuclear weapons. Israel is the only nation in the Middle East with a Nuclear Weapons program which was illegally established. Israel is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and is not a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Israel now has an estimated 200 nuclear weapons with missile delivery capability.

The why of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is clearly brought to light in Obstacle To Peace. You see, Mr. Hammond has demonstrated the wide gap between US/Israeli rhetoric and reality. He shows how the main organs of information in America– the mainstream media –have been completely dominated by the hasbara (propaganda) put out by those championing of the Zionist agenda, which since its inception in the 1880s has been to completely take over Palestine and make it a Jewish State. Aided by Western guilt over the lack of timely action re the Shoah/Holocaust, Zionists have leveraged that guilt to the distinct disadvantage of the indigenous Palestinians.

Obstacle To Peace amply demonstrates (with impeccable citations) just how successive US Administrations have bent over backward, indeed ingested the lies of Zionism until they flow with ease from the mouths of Democrats and Republicans alike. Today, when one listens to Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama talk about the situation in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza, without understanding what is actually being spoken, think the problem has to reside with the Palestinians, in general and Hamas in particular. But, you see, when Obama or any other American politician speaks about Israel a whole litany of code words are what come tumbling out. While they sound reasonable, in fact, what is being stated is this: Eastern European Jews (Zionists) who illegally immigrated to Palestine are justified in their wholesale thieving of Palestinian land and their ethnic cleansing of Palestinians; justified in continuing a brutal occupation in defiance of International Law. That despite the fact that Jews in Palestine numbered approximately only 5 percent of the population at the start of the illegal Zionist immigration, they have more rights to that land than the overwhelming majority of people that inhabited that land for 2,000 years.

So, for instance, when you hear that all Israel is asking for is no preconditioned negotiation for recognition from the Palestinians of a Jewish State, what is really being stated is that there is a precondition for Palestinians to accept the theft of their homeland and the loss of their chance for the Right of Return (for the 750.000 Palestinian owners of properties/homes/shops/orchards etc forced in 1948 from their homes in what now comprises Israel) and the acceptance of the fact that all Palestinians (20 percent of Israeli citizens) will be treated officially as second class citizens creating an apartheid state of Israel which is already apparent in the occupied territories and there will be only a token, dislocated association of tiny areas called a Palestinian state without rights to water sourced on Palestinian land.

Obstacle To Peace meticulously documents this tragic situation. In short, after reading this book you will no longer be able to blame the Palestinians for their victimization. Zionist Israel’s sham history and distortions of reality will no longer sound anything but what they are: Excuses to exterminate the Palestinian presence from Palestine.

Kudos, Mr. Hammond. A brave and much needed effort.

Guy St Hilaire
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very well researched and a must read for anyone wanting …
Very well researched and a must read for anyone wanting to know what transpired in Palestine over the last 150 years.

Dennis Dvernychuk
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Five Stars
Very worthy read.

Morley Evans
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The world would be a better safer place for everyone
Mr Hammond has destroyed every Zionist argument with this thoroughly researched and cogently argued book. The Obstacle to Peace is the ignorance of the American people which has been carefully cultivated for decades by Israel and its friends. If Americans understood the truth, they would not stand for Washington’s policies for a second. The world would be a better safer place for everyone. I hope millions read this fine book