Description
Book SynopsisThe Israeli/Palestinian conflict is the longest on-going hot-and-cold war in the 20th and 21st century. In this book the author argues that human rights standards are the key to a just and sustainable solution and that, tragically, no one has ever made serious use of them in trying to end the conflict. The reader will have a comprehensive view of the conflict, its relationship to surrounding world events, and its similarities to and differences from other conflicts, especially those embedded in American race relations.
Trade Review"It is exceedingly difficult, given the breadth of the question of Palestine, to distill a century of history into a single monograph. It is yet more difficult to do so in a way that is both academically rigorous and profoundly approachable to those unfamiliar with this history. In Understanding Israel/Palestine, Eve Spangler succeeds in the face of these challenges, producing a remarkable resource that everyone from neophytes to experts will find compelling. Spangler seamlessly weaves detailed historical analysis and theoretical framing with contemporary experiences and observations gained from years of leading student groups on trips through Palestine/Israel. (…) Spangler’s rigorous scholarship, years of experience and carefully considered, thorough, and convincing arguments result in a vital resource for experts and nonexperts alike." - M. DeMaio (2021). Book Review. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 1-2.
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Part 1: Introduction Chapter 1: Introduction: Tell Our Story Background Information Reasons to Hope Methodological Considerations Plan of the Book Chapter 2: In Israel and Palestine: What You See Is What We Bought Settlement Building Expulsion Suppression Containment Creativity and Resilience Conclusion Chapter 3: Basic Concepts: Human Rights, Race, and Nation Introduction Human Rights: Beyond Family and Tribe Race: Arabs as the Emerging Racial “Other” Nation and Nationalism: The Right to Have Rights Chapter 4: Zionism: The Idea That Changed Everything Assimilation Reform Confrontation Exit Part 2: A Brief History of the Conflict: Another Look Chapter 5: State Builders, Settlers, and Colonial Subjects: The Past Is Prologue Zionists in the Pre-State Period The Great Powers in the Pre-State Period The Palestinians in the Pre-State Period The Spiral into Tragedy Chapter 6: Establishing the State, Preparing Occupation The Israelis: Creating a National Framework The Great and Regional Powers in the Era of Decolonization The Palestinians: Divided and Abandoned The Sprial into Tragedy Chapter 7: Occupation and Resistance: The Zionist Dream Comes True, or Be Careful What You Ask For The Israelis: Realizing the Dream, Generating Resistance The Great and Regional Powers: Selling Out Palestine The Palestinians: Going it Alone The Spiral into Tragedy and Multiple Wars Chapter 8: The Endless, Deceptive Peace Process The Israelis and the “Peace Process” The Great and Regional Powers and the Peace Process The Palestinians and the Peace Process The Peace Process and the Spiral of Tragedy Beyond the Peace Process: Marshalling International Support for Human Rights The Peace Process Part 3: Moving Forward Chapter 9: Four Frames: Israeli Self-Defense, Genocide, Apartheid, Settler Colonialism: Ethnic Cleansing/Sociocide Israeli Self-Defense Genocide Apartheid Settler Colonialism: Ethnic Cleansing and Sociocide Conclusion Chapter 10: Zionism Revisited: From 1967 Back to 1948 Zionism as Colonization and Ethnic Cleansing/Sociocide Zionism as Self-Ghettoization Zionism and the Promise of Safety Zionism and Globalization Chapter 11: Conclusion: Hope and History Lessons from the Past Tools for Change Signs of Hope Conclusion: Finding the Tipping Point Part 4: Supplementary Material Appendix A: Time Line Appendix B: Study Questions References About the Author Index
