The politics of Israel and its occupation of the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip is to a large part wrapped up in religious and historical narratives that critics argue distort and obscure the truth. Essays by some of those critics are presented by Prior (theology, U. of Surrey, UK), with some papers discussing the Nakbah (literally, "catastrophe") that resulted in the expulsion of large numbers of Palestinians from what is now Israel proper, the historical relationship of Christianity to Zionism, and other topics, while others outline more theological and moral concerns, including the Palestinian right of return. The book includes a foreword by Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)