The former deputy mayor of Jerusalem addresses the transformation of an Arab land into a Jewish state from a novel perspective: geography. How, asks Benvenisti (Intimate Enemies, 1995; City of Stone, 1996), did the Arabic names of mountains, towns, and bodies of water get replaced with Hebrew words? How did Umm Jurfinat become Kibbutz Grofit, and Rakhma become Yerukham? And how has the physical and political geography of the Arabs been affected by the development of a state whose mandate is to provide a homeland for Jews? In many ways, the answers Benvenisti provides to these questions comprise a geography not just of Israel but of the author, the son of a leading Israeli geographer who created some of those early Hebrew maps. The geographers son here wrestles with the questions of how this now-Jewish state can be a true home to both Arabs and Jews, and what it means to understand that his mortal enemiesthe Arabsare also his brothers. Benvenisti realizes that he cannot merely beat his breast and apologize for the wrongs Palestinians have suffered at the hands of Israelis. Though his intention [is not] to address the issues of an overall solution to the refugee problem, he does urge that Israel abolish and eradicate any form of discriminationlegal or otherwiseagainst the Palestinians. And he suggests that the state, which is selling to developers acres of land once owned by Arabs, compensate the original owners by paying them a portion of the profits. When peace finally comes to Israel, Benvenisti will be regarded as a moral and courageous thinker who spoke out on behalf of the oppressed before it became the fashionable thing to do. (23 b&w photos, 5 maps) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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