Broken Promises, Broken Dreams

-- A doctor's life-changing journey across Israel's borders --'Dr. Rothchild gives us what we so badly need--information, information and more information--about what is actually happening in Israeli-controlled Gaza and West Bank and, even more important, about the lives and struggles of those brave Israelis who reject their government's policies of occupation and wish to bring about a future where it can be truly said, 'We refuse to be enemies'.' Dorothy M. ZellnerThe tragedies of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians are never far from the pages of the mainstream press. Yet it is rare to hear about the reality of life on the ground -- and it is rarer still when these voices belong to women. This book records the intimate journey of a Jewish American physician travelling and working within Israel and the Occupied Territories. Alice Rothchild grew up in a family grounded by the traumas of the Holocaust and passionately devoted to Israel. This book recounts her experiences as she grapples with the reality of life in Israel, the complexity of Jewish Israeli attitudes and the hardships of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza. Through her work with a medical and human rights project Rothchild is able to offer a unique personal insight into the conflict. Based on interviews with both Israelis and Palestinians, Rothchild's memorable account brings to life the voices of people mutually entwined in trauma, and explores individual examples of resilience and resistance. Ultimately, the book raises troubling questions regarding US policy and the mainstream Jewish community's insistence on giving unquestioning support to all Israeli policy.