In From Beruit to Jerusalem Thomas L. Friedman offers his first-hand observations of life in the Middle East where he worked as a reporter for ten years from June 1979 to 1989 (3). As a two time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting in the Middle East, Friedman offers a perceptive account of his days living in Beirut and Jerusalem rendered with rare insight into the belief systems and fallacies of both Arabs and Jews. Friedman observes that his earliest interest in Israel occurred when he was in high school and his parents flew him over Christmas vacation to visit his sister who was studying in Israel (4). After studying in Israel and Egypt, he began to become mutually interested in both worlds and began studying Arabic (6). Friedman's deep appreciation for both the Jewish and Arab worlds fashions him as an excellent guide for Americans attempting to understand the labyrinth of the Middle East. Friedman, however, recognizes the precariousness of his position when he observes that a Jew who chooses to specialize in Middle East affairs will be a "lonely man" since neither the Arabs nor the Jews will ever fully accept or trust him (6).
Friedman began his days as a reporter in Lebanon, a country which he observes was once proudly called the Switzerland of the Middle East. While in the Middle East he witnessed the Hama massacre and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Living in Beruit prepared him for living in Jerusalem. Having lived in the midst of its chaotic jungle-like atmosphere, he felt sufficiently conditioned to deal with Jerusalem's comparatively more moderate daily tensions. During his first few days in Jerusalem, an Israeli taxi driver attempted to swindle him, trying to coerce him into paying a highly inflated price for a very short taxi ride. When Friedman resisted this attempt at being bullied, the Israeli taxi driver grew even more aggressive, threatening to involve the authorities if his commands were no...