Israel on the Brink
And the Eight Revolutions that Could Lead to Decolonization and Coexistence
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A renowned Israeli-British historian argues Israel is fracturing, and considers the issues that must be centered for a peaceful future for Palestinians and Jews alike
In this timely book, historian Ilan Pappé argues that with the 2022 election of the most right-wing government in Israel’s history, the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and the subsequent Israeli war on Gaza, political fractures inherent in the Jewish state have expanded dangerously—and will potentially lead to Israel's collapse. With the goal of working towards a transition that is as peaceful as possible, Pappé sets out his thoughts about the risks and opportunities emerging from this historical moment.
Eight “mini-revolutions,” he argues, will be necessary for this more hopeful future to emerge, including:
Relocating the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees to the center of the future vision;Establishing a new definition for the Jewish collective in historical Palestine;Finalizing a plan for the future of the Jewish settlements built in the West Bank since 1967; andCreating a new strategy for a united Palestinian national movement.
Pappé concretely envisions a more just future—a democratic decolonized state for both Palestinians and Israelis—and how we might get there.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this striking account, Israeli historian Pappé (Lobbying for Zionism) examines the present crisis of Israel's legitimacy as a liberal democracy as it perpetuates "mass destruction" and "atrocities against civilians" in Gaza. He begins by analyzing the decades-long "failure of the so-called peace process," which he partly pegs on the "appeasement" approach to Israel's aggressive expansionism taken by the U.S. This appeasement, Pappé contends, allowed for a radical Israeli right wing to flourish and build up a notion of a long-lost "State of Judea" that will be recolonized by modern Israel (which includes large chunks of several present-day Middle Eastern countries). The "Judea" faction finally came to full power in the November 2022 elections, Pappé explains, and he warns that should it continue to consolidate power, "its victims would not be limited to Palestinians. Jewish citizens who want to live in a liberal, democratic, and pluralist state would also suffer." In later chapters, Pappé presents several "cognitive and political mini-revolutions" that would allow for the restoration of liberal order and liberal values, including a robust "judicial process" for human rights violations and the "total demolition" of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The book's final section is a moving "fictional diary" set in a liberated "post-Israel Palestine in 2048." It's a bracingly principled and hopeful blueprint for the future.
