From Beirut To Jerusalem Summary

The Middle Eastern states of Lebanon and Israel are at the center of the hot bed centuries of conflict and warfare between the Jewish and Palestinian peoples. Thomas Friedman spent nine years in the region before writing his book From Beirut to Jerusalem about his experiences in both cities. Ultimately, Friedman’s discussion of the violence, instability, and politics in the lives of the two middle-eastern cities creates what he calls tribal politics and Hama Rules. Tribal Politics and Hama Rules dominate the book as Freidman examines not only the current events that occur but also the causes behind the in- and the out-fighting; in order to live in the Middle East, Freidman argues, one must understand these principles or pay for his ignorance.

Hafez Assad was the Syrian president and an Alawite, a separate sect of Islam formed in the ninth and tenth centuries. Hama, a city of approximately 180,000 people, was a predominantly Sunni city opposed to many of the policies and reforms of the Alawite president. Hence, Hama became a base for many Sunni Muslim organizations becoming a target for Assad. After a botched assassination attempt by the Muslim brotherhood and failed reprisals, Assad closed in on Hama. In an attempt to destroy the Muslim brotherhood, the predominantly Alawite military entered the city. When they encountered resistance, the foot soldiers and secret police pulled out and the tanks rolled in. What resulted was the unprecedented destruction of the city. The tanks bombarded anything that would move or resist, and the bulldozers followed razing over 12 acres of the city with its inhabitants inside. Assad’s men killed nearly every Sunni cleric in Hama, and those who were not killed they tortured. As disconcerting as the western world may view this massacre, Freidman argues, the Middle East understands these politics: they are the Hama