Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on Israel's War Against the Palestinians, By Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe (Edited by Frank Barat)

Brave attempt to pin down a conflict that won't stay still

Gaza in Crisis brings together two authoritative voices on Palestine: the Israeli academic Ilan Pappe contributes essays on the historical context of the conflict, while the American theorist Noam Chomsky surveys more recent developments, including the "mass slaughter of defenceless civilians" in Israel's bombing campaign of 2008.

Rounded out with interviews in which the pair discuss the prospects for peace, the book is a wonderfully accessible primer. The only flaw is that, owing to the ever developing situation in the Middle East, it is already out of date (Chomsky admonishes Obama for propping up Egypt's now-deposed Mubarak regime). A successor volume on the outlook for Palestine in the wake of the Arab Spring would be welcome.