Israel’s linguistic acrobatics [Book Review]

No amount of Israeltalk can whitewash Israeli crimes

I am careful about recommending books. Everyone’s time is precious. My commending Alex McDonald’s How I Learned to Speak Israel: An American’s Guide to a Foreign Policy Language, and its sequel, When They Speak Israel: A Guide to Clarity In Conversations About Israel to your attention in a single review, then, means I found them to be beyond impressive.

McDonald writes, “Language has consequences.” Then, as Mr. McDonald skillfully dissects the discourse on Israel and Palestine, that statement begins to seem wildly understated. McDonald’s analysis explains in detail how Israel and the West have used language, discourse, and narrative framing to camouflage a never-ending stream of the dispossession of Palestinians, including institutionalized discrimination, human rights abuses, military occupation, and so much more.

Indeed, learning is a journey, and this is the story of one person’s journey, a story that will surely enlighten scores more as they pursue the best way to speak truth to power.

Read more

English: Medium

In Arabic: Wattan News and Alhadath

Alex McDonald’s website: speakisrael.info

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