Yossi Halevi Becomes 1st Israeli Writer to Address Palestinians

Author and journalist Yossi Klein Halevi became the first Israeli writer to directly address his Palestinian neighbors after he published the New York Times Bestseller "Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor" in 2018. 

Drawing from his experiences in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Halevi reveals the complex strands of faith, pride, anger, and anguish he feels as a Jew living in Israel.

Halevi decided that it wasn't enough to reach an English speaking audience, so he had the book translated into Arabic and offered it online for free downloading. 

He called on his Palestinian neighbors and other Arabic speakers in the region to read the book and send him their responses and tell him their stories. 

[caption id="attachment_124583" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The Book Cover[/caption]

Surprisingly, the author received hundreds of letters in response; asking questions, challenging his arguments, and expressing empathy. 

Halevi was overwhelmed by the generosity of spirit and courage demonstrated by these respondents, and recently published a new paperback edition of the book with an epilogue of 50 pages of Palestinian responses. 

The following is a short video about the process of writing the book and the power of shifting the broken dysfunctional discourse about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict towards a new type of conversation grounded in mutual respect and empathy: https://www.facebook.com/YossiKleinHalevi/videos/280183176295856/

Remarkably, the book has received positive reviews from publications across the political spectrum. Al Majalla, a Saudi Arabia's leading newsweekly publication, endorsed the book: "In Pursuit of Peace, Yossi Klein Halevi Examines Commonalities Between the Sons of Abraham". 

Halevi still receives responses through the website regularly and is using his quarantine time writing letters to every respondent. 

According to the author, this moment of quiet and isolation presents the perfect opportunity for deep reflection and virtual connection through the form of letter writing.