The completion of this book would not have been possible without the help of others. My deep appreciation goes to those Jahalin Bedouins and other Palestinians, who are too many to mention, for letting me into their lives. Specifically, I am indebted to Ahmad, who introduced me to his tribe, culture, and habitat, adopted me as part of his extended family, and provided invaluable info and support throughout the study of our friendship. For many years you have been the spice of my life and my heart is with you. May all your wishes come true.
This book started as a doctoral research study. I would like to acknowledge all those colleagues, friends, and family members who responded to requests for feedback and offered constructive input. I am most grateful to my three mentors: Jessica Muller, at the University of California (San Francisco), Haim Weinberg, then at the Professional School of Psychology (Sacramento, CA), and William Bergquist, President of the same school. In addition, my peers – Ronit Bisson, Motti Cohen, Racheli Lazar, Rivka Moshonov, Ronit Nesher, and Tal Schwartz – were like a bunch of cheerleaders, encouraging me toward the finish of this book. Moreover, there were Israeli friends who at times backed me but often made my life more difficult. I know there were occasions in which I made you freak out.
The stimulating questions and insightful remarks by my colleague Chen Bram, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Hadassah Academic College, who encouraged me to expand on the socio-political context, anonymous reviewers, and both Ursula and David Blumenthal at Emory College, were indispensable. So were the latter’s efforts and those of Benjamin Hary at New York University, in getting this book published. At Brill, things would not have worked out without the perseverance of acquisition editor Jason Prevost and series editor Mehdi Amineh, the meticulous language editing of Christine Retz, the esteemed assistance of Jennifer Obdam and especially, the ongoing support and enthusiasm of Debbie de Wit and Irene Jager.
Finally, I feel obliged to my parents who provided me with a stable socio-economic background and raised me in the light of a clear value system, without which I would not have accomplished the things I achieved in life, including this study.
Thank you all!