Halakha and the challenge of Israeli sovereignty

Abstract

sources such as diaries and memoirs. In addition, the author often quotes “second hand” primary sources in Arabic and Ottoman taken from other works. In this sense the book serves as a very good reader for those interested in state-of-the-art literature, research and sources on very early Jewish-Arab encounters in Ottoman Palestine, particularly during the First Aliyah, but does not contribute a great deal in terms of new findings or sources. It would have been beneficial to include a few maps illustrating the places discussed. The lack of an introduction to the book that would explain its overall aims, sources and methodology, and present its framework, is unusual. There are some inaccuracies and improper usages, especially when it comes to the Ottoman Empire and its research. I, for instance, have never worked on “court records” (p. vii) a term which experts on the Middle East usually reserve for the records of the sharia courts (sijill). The term “Turkey” and “Turks” should not be used when describing the Ottoman Empire and its rulers (p. 6, p. 9, and elsewhere). Unlike the Turkish Republic, which was established in 1923, the Ottoman Empire was fundamentally multireligious, multi-ethnic, and multi-lingual. Sultan “Abdul al-Hamid” is misspelled (p. 102; elsewhere it is written differently). Finally, the common periodization for the First Aliyah in Zionist historiography is 1882–1903 and for the Second Aliyah 1904–1914, whereas for some reason Dowty chose 1882–1905 and 1905–1914 respectively (for instance, see p. 105, p. 113). Nevertheless, overall, Dowty has done tremendous work in integrating numerous sources into a coherent, solid and clear narrative. Anyone who is interested in learning about the initial Zionist – Arab encounter in late Ottoman Palestine would benefit from reading this book.