3 out of 4 stars
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Do you ever ask yourself when the perpetual War On Terror will end? As a pacifist, I don't believe in wars as a means of conflict resolution. Just what inspired the rise of Islamic radicals worldwide? And, most importantly, what will it take to end this religious/political stalemate? Do we need divine guidance to end centuries of hatred and strife? After all, morality is a human construct and whether it's expressed or not relies on your point of view. Or maybe it's up to the gods? The supposedly Christian American and Australian settlers practically massacred the indigenous populations where they settled. Is Israel committing the same in Occupied Palestine?
Hiramic Brotherhood: Ezekiel's Temple Prophecy, is the fictional debut work by William Hanna. The book explores the intrigues of the Zionist movement and the present-day effect on a hapless Islamic/Christian Palestinian people. The book can be broken down into two: fiction and non-fiction parts.
The fictional story follows Conrad Banner, a British investigative journalist. Who, together with his father, Mark Banner, are staunch critics of Israeli policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Conrad is in the process of filming a documentary that highlights the illegal Israeli use of archeology in undermining Palestinian claims on their lands. At the heart of the conspiracy lies the Hiramic Brotherhood; whose sole aim is to construct the Biblical inspired third temple on present-day Temple Mount near Jerusalem. His brief dalliance with Israeli authority and the plight of the Palestinian people will show a side of Israel rarely seen or heard.
The non-fiction part of the story chronicles the history of the Christian Bible, Zionism, and Judaism, mainly in the form of articles, quotes, and memoirs. Of particular interest are the Jewish lobby groups' nefarious activities on sovereign states and the on-going Israeli oppression of Palestinian people. Can Israeli society be compared to Apartheid South Africa? What does the word Apartheid mean anyway?
The topic of this book intrigues me. The Masonic compass had connotations of a secret society which I've been reading on for a while. Human history and religion are also topics I enjoy, Hiramic Brotherhood had all these. The book reads like a thriller. I even feared writing this review in case the Israeli authorities find it offensive. I'll check under my car everyday just in case!
The book was presented in an unusual style. The meld between fiction and fact was not effective. The factual part of the story overshadowed the fictional narrative. Conrad's story gets lost between a mountain of facts which I found more enjoyable to read. The net effect is poor character development. I would pick Mark Banner as my favorite character. This was due to his bravery and commitment to the Palestinian cause.
My complimentary copy was in PDF format with a total 282 pages. The Amazon copy and others online averaged about 650 standard pages. The formating was tight and visually challenging to read on a small smartphone, I used my computer instead.
The book had many errors which I believe a little do-over would make a near-perfect work. I regrettably rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Some of the errors include;
...with concerned a... page 115
...of the coast... should be off (page 111)
Appelman was referred to as Appleton several times.
Despite these errors and poor characters I still enjoyed the book. Most of the facts presented were verifiable and already known to me. Though some of the subject matter may not appeal to anyone with a contrary opinion on how to approach Israeli-Palestinian relations. I would recommend this book to anyone in need of critical thought when it comes to religion, world politics, and the Zionist agenda.
The intrigues of Jewish exile and Zionism reminds me of my ethnic lore. The lore speaks of our People originating from a distant hill situated next to a large lake/sea. This prophecy led to a history of migration and conflict as our people sought the elusive hill to meet their creator. However, the arrival of the Europeans with their guns quickly subdued our war machine. Almost suddenly did our belief in God also change-He became Christian. After all, they both share the same attributes and offered salvation. Funny thing though, we were convinced by then evangelists that our God is in the biblical Golgotha in present-day Israel. Which just happens to be a hill not so far from the sea!
I view Abrahamic faiths with a lot of contempt. I believe that God (if He exists) is not a politician. He does not discriminate against one group over another. So, the concept of a God's chosen people is absurd to me. The on-going stalemate in Occupied Palestine should not exist with this in mind.
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Hiramic Brotherhood: Ezekiel's Temple Prophesy
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