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''From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict over Palestine'' is a controversial 1984 book by Joan Peters about the demographics of the Arab population of Palestine and of the Jewish population of the Arab world before and after the formation of the State of Israel. According to the book a large fraction of the Arabs of Palestine were not descendants of natives of Palestine at the time of the formation of Israel in 1948, but had arrived in waves of immigration starting in the 19th century and continuing through the period of the British Mandate. According to the author, at the same time a much larger number of Jews than the number Arabs fleeing Palestine, were driven out of the Arab countries and became refugees in Israel. Peters contends that what is referred to the 1948 Palestinian exodus is actually a population exchange that resulted from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. When the book was published, it was acclaimed by mainstream critics, including Robert St. John. A short time later, the book's central claims were attacked by Norman Finkelstein. Other critics, including Noam Chomsky, Edward Said and Yehoshua Porath, followed Finkelstein's criticism and called the book "ludicrous", "worthless" and a "forgery". Other historians, such as Barbara W. Tuchman and Daniel Pipes, accepted the book's central thesis and claimed that weaknesses in the book do not undermine that thesis. == Initial reception == On its release in the US the book received widespread critical acclaim.〔Edward Said. (''Blaming the victims: spurious scholarship and the Palestinian question'' ). Verso Books, 2001. p. 23.〕 According to Norman Finkelstein, it had garnered some two hundred favorable notices in the United States by the end of its publication in 1984.〔Norman Finkelstein. (''Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict 2nd Edition'' ). Verso Books, 2003 p.45-46〕 In April 1985 it was awarded the National Jewish Book Award in the "Israel" category. Theodore H. White called Peters' work a "superlative book" that traces Middle East history with "unmatched skill." Saul Bellow's endorsement on the cover of the book stated: :"Every political issue claiming the attention of a world public has its 'experts" - news managers, anchor men, ax grinders, and anglers. The great merit of this book is to demonstrate that, on the Palestinian issue, these experts speak from utter ignorance. Millions of people the world over, smothered by false history and propaganda, will be grateful for this clear account of the origins of the Palestinians. From Time Immemorial does not grudge these unhappy people their rights. It does, however, dissolve the claims made by nationalist agitators and correct the false history by which these unfortunate Arabs are imposed upon and exploited." The book was also praised by Arthur J. Goldberg and Martin Peretz who said: "If (the book is) read, it will change the mind of our generation.” Peretz suggested that there was not a single factual error in the book.〔 Walter Reich wrote on the book "fresh and powerful ... an original analysis as well as a synoptic view of a little-known but important human story". Jehuda Reinharz described the book as "valuable synthesis" and "new analysis" that "convincingly demonstrates that many of those who today call themselves Palestinian refugees are former immigrants or children of such immigrants". Ronald Sanders wrote that Peters' demographics "could change the entire Arab-Jewish polemic over Palestine". Sidney Zion wrote that Peters' book was "the intellectual equivalent of the Six-Day War". Timothy Foote acclaimed that the book is "part historic primer, part polemic, part revelation, and a remarkable document in itself". Lucy Dawidowicz wrote that Peters "brought into the light the historical truth about the Mideast". Barbara Probst Solomon called the book "brilliant, provocative and enlightened". Elie Wiesel described the "insight and analysis" of the book. Similar views were expressed by, Paul Cowan and others.〔, pp 21-22〕 Some reviewers, while describing the book in favourable terms, did point to certain deficiencies in Peters' scholarship. Martin Kramer in ''The New Leader'' (May 1984) wrote that the book raises overdue questions about the demographic history of Palestine in a way that cannot be ignored, but also referred to "serious weaknesses" in the book, and Peters' "rummaging through archives and far more balanced historical studies than her own for whatever evidence she can find to back up her thesis". He goes on to say that "It is specially unfortunate because on the central point of her book, the demographic argument, Peters is probably right." Daniel Pipes in ''Commentary'' (July 1984) initially stated that Peters' "historical detective work has produced startling results, which should materially influence the future course of the debate about the Palestinian problem." He did, however, caution readers that "the author is not a historian or someone practiced in writing on politics, and she tends to let her passions carry her away. As a result, the book suffers from chaotic presentation and an excess of partisanship". He later modified his views in a letter to the New York Times, after several academic reviews had shown the technical deficiencies of her book, he argued that Peter's central thesis, of large-scale Arab immigration into Palestine, had still not been refuted, though: ''From Time Immemorial'' quotes carelessly, uses statistics sloppily, and ignores inconvenient facts. Much of the book is irrelevant to Miss Peters's central thesis. The author's linguistic and scholarly abilities are open to question. Excessive use of quotation marks, eccentric footnotes, and a polemical, somewhat hysterical undertone mar the book. In short, ''From Time Immemorial'' stands out as an appallingly crafted book.〔Daniel Pipes,(to the Editor,' ) New York Review of Books 27 March, 1986.〕 Initially the book received very few unfavorable reviews.〔〔 According to Norman Finkelstein, by the end of 1984 only three critical reviews had appeared, those by Finkelstein in ''In These Times'' (September 5–11, 1984), Bill Farrell in the ''Journal of Palestine Studies'' (Fall 1984) and Alexander Cockburn in ''The Nation'' (October 13, 1984).〔 Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, professor of religion at Dartmouth College and vice president of the World Jewish Congress remarked that he thought Peters had "cooked the statistics" and that her scholarship was "phony and tendentious", recycling ideas promoted by right-wing Zionists since the 1930s.〔Colin Campbell,('Dispute flares over book on claims to Palestine,' ) New York Times 28 November 1985. 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「From Time Immemorial」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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