A long read, but fast-paced, simple to understand and interesting. It is an historical fiction describing an Arab leader’s life in Palestine and the family’s conflicts with the Israelis going back hundreds of years. “Haj” means pilgrimage and is one of the five tenets of the Islamic belief. Uris’ books typically present conflicts from a side that most Americans are not familiar, in this case, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict from the perspective of the Arabs. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read that provides an understanding of the region, the peoples and their traditions. Although this is not a tactics book per se, it was recommended reading in 1986 from briefings by RAND and the CIA to gain a better understanding of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Recommended by Sid Heal in Episodes 1 & 2