The Impact of Israel's Founding Myths on the Prospects for a Two-State Solution

The Impact of Israel's Founding Myths on the Prospects for a Two-State Solution PDF Author: Andrew J. Winnick
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781523923700
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 68

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Book Description
The introduction to this book begins with the following quote:"...what you should really look for...is intellectual integrity: the willingness to admit mistakes and change course... the willingness to entertain different ideas...I'm not calling for an end to ideology...What you should seek, in yourself and others, is not an absence of ideology but an open mind, willing to consider the possibility that parts of the ideology may be wrong." Paul Krugman in an article entitled Ideology and Integrity, NY Times, May 1, 2015 The goal of this brief book is to ask readers interested in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict to accept the challenge presented by Krugman. Readers are asked to be willing to consider the well-documented historical facts presented in this book and, in that light, to (re)evaluate their understanding of: (1) The circumstances leading up to the founding of the State of Israel(2) The War of Independence fought between Israel's founders and both the Palestinians and the Arab forces from surrounding nations. This includes an examination of the circumstances under which more than 700,000 Palestinians left as refugees and 150,000 others were displaced within what became Israel(3) The history of negotiations over the last 25 years between Israelis and Palestinians to come to a Two-State Solution: Israel and Palestine functioning side-by-side in peace and security.This analysis is done by specifying and examining 15 popularly held myths. This work starts by providing a critical analysis of five myths about the founding of the State of Israel and then six myths concerning the nature and conduct of Israel's War of Independence, known to Palestinians as Al Nakba, The Catastrophe. Evidence is presented that these eleven statements indeed are myths, that the statements are not true, no matter how firmly many people believe in them or how often they are repeated. It is argued that the (false) belief in these myths has led to many of the problems in negotiating a Two-State Solution. The author clearly hopes that the corollary is also true: that the sooner it is understood that these are indeed myths, the sooner it may be possible for the two sides to successfully conclude negotiates. In addition, four myths concerning the history and current status of the negotiation process concerning the establishment of two states are explored. In the context of examining these 15 myths a series of embedded topics are analyzed, including: * the nature of the British Mandate over Palestine prior to Israel's founding* the actual role of the U.N. in the formation of Israel* the history of Jewish and Palestinian nationalism* the relative strengths and actions of the settler/Israeli forces and those of the Palestinians and five invading Arab nations in the 1947-49 war, especially concerning the charges of ethnic cleansing and massacres* a brief overview of some of the past negotiations toward a Two-State Solution* the nature and makeup of the current (2015-2016) Israeli government* the impact of the demand for recognition of Israel as a "Jewish State" and Theodor Herzl's use of that term* the nature of and problems within the Palestinian leadership* the impact of the 2015 disputes over the Iran nuclear agreement * the role of the charge of anti-Semitism in deflecting criticism of the Israeli government's policies in the context of the U.S. State Department's definition of anti-SemitismThe express goal of this work is to pull together, in a brief and easily accessible format, what are often disparate analyses of these many topics in the hope of stimulating learning and discussions that will better enable concerned persons to propel movement toward the establishment of two states, Israel and Palestine, both enjoying peace, security and economic development. In that spirit, readers are encouraged to consider disseminating this work to friends and colleagues.

The Impact of Israel's Founding Myths on the Prospects for a Two-State Solution

The Impact of Israel's Founding Myths on the Prospects for a Two-State Solution PDF Author: Andrew J. Winnick
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781523923700
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 68

Get Book Here

Book Description
The introduction to this book begins with the following quote:"...what you should really look for...is intellectual integrity: the willingness to admit mistakes and change course... the willingness to entertain different ideas...I'm not calling for an end to ideology...What you should seek, in yourself and others, is not an absence of ideology but an open mind, willing to consider the possibility that parts of the ideology may be wrong." Paul Krugman in an article entitled Ideology and Integrity, NY Times, May 1, 2015 The goal of this brief book is to ask readers interested in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict to accept the challenge presented by Krugman. Readers are asked to be willing to consider the well-documented historical facts presented in this book and, in that light, to (re)evaluate their understanding of: (1) The circumstances leading up to the founding of the State of Israel(2) The War of Independence fought between Israel's founders and both the Palestinians and the Arab forces from surrounding nations. This includes an examination of the circumstances under which more than 700,000 Palestinians left as refugees and 150,000 others were displaced within what became Israel(3) The history of negotiations over the last 25 years between Israelis and Palestinians to come to a Two-State Solution: Israel and Palestine functioning side-by-side in peace and security.This analysis is done by specifying and examining 15 popularly held myths. This work starts by providing a critical analysis of five myths about the founding of the State of Israel and then six myths concerning the nature and conduct of Israel's War of Independence, known to Palestinians as Al Nakba, The Catastrophe. Evidence is presented that these eleven statements indeed are myths, that the statements are not true, no matter how firmly many people believe in them or how often they are repeated. It is argued that the (false) belief in these myths has led to many of the problems in negotiating a Two-State Solution. The author clearly hopes that the corollary is also true: that the sooner it is understood that these are indeed myths, the sooner it may be possible for the two sides to successfully conclude negotiates. In addition, four myths concerning the history and current status of the negotiation process concerning the establishment of two states are explored. In the context of examining these 15 myths a series of embedded topics are analyzed, including: * the nature of the British Mandate over Palestine prior to Israel's founding* the actual role of the U.N. in the formation of Israel* the history of Jewish and Palestinian nationalism* the relative strengths and actions of the settler/Israeli forces and those of the Palestinians and five invading Arab nations in the 1947-49 war, especially concerning the charges of ethnic cleansing and massacres* a brief overview of some of the past negotiations toward a Two-State Solution* the nature and makeup of the current (2015-2016) Israeli government* the impact of the demand for recognition of Israel as a "Jewish State" and Theodor Herzl's use of that term* the nature of and problems within the Palestinian leadership* the impact of the 2015 disputes over the Iran nuclear agreement * the role of the charge of anti-Semitism in deflecting criticism of the Israeli government's policies in the context of the U.S. State Department's definition of anti-SemitismThe express goal of this work is to pull together, in a brief and easily accessible format, what are often disparate analyses of these many topics in the hope of stimulating learning and discussions that will better enable concerned persons to propel movement toward the establishment of two states, Israel and Palestine, both enjoying peace, security and economic development. In that spirit, readers are encouraged to consider disseminating this work to friends and colleagues.

The Founding Myths of Israel

The Founding Myths of Israel PDF Author: Zeev Sternhell
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 140082236X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
The well-known historian and political scientist Zeev Sternhell here advances a radically new interpretation of the founding of modern Israel. The founders claimed that they intended to create both a landed state for the Jewish people and a socialist society. However, according to Sternhell, socialism served the leaders of the influential labor movement more as a rhetorical resource for the legitimation of the national project of establishing a Jewish state than as a blueprint for a just society. In this thought-provoking book, Sternhell demonstrates how socialist principles were consistently subverted in practice by the nationalist goals to which socialist Zionism was committed. Sternhell explains how the avowedly socialist leaders of the dominant labor party, Mapai, especially David Ben Gurion and Berl Katznelson, never really believed in the prospects of realizing the "dream" of a new society, even though many of their working-class supporters were self-identified socialists. The founders of the state understood, from the very beginning, that not only socialism but also other universalistic ideologies like liberalism, were incompatible with cultural, historical, and territorial nationalism. Because nationalism took precedence over universal values, argues Sternhell, Israel has not evolved a constitution or a Bill of Rights, has not moved to separate state and religion, has failed to develop a liberal concept of citizenship, and, until the Oslo accords of 1993, did not recognize the rights of the Palestinians to independence. This is a controversial and timely book, which not only provides useful historical background to Israel's ongoing struggle to mobilize its citizenry to support a shared vision of nationhood, but also raises a question of general significance: is a national movement whose aim is a political and cultural revolution capable of coexisting with the universal values of secularism, individualism, and social justice? This bold critical reevaluation will unsettle long-standing myths as it contributes to a fresh new historiography of Zionism and Israel. At the same time, while it examines the past, The Founding Myths of Israel reflects profoundly on the future of the Jewish State.

One Land, Two States

One Land, Two States PDF Author: Mark LeVine
Publisher: University of California Press
ISBN: 0520279131
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
One Land, Two States imagines a new vision for Israel and Palestine in a situation where the peace process has failed to deliver an end of conflict. “If the land cannot be shared by geographical division, and if a one-state solution remains unacceptable,” the book asks, “can the land be shared in some other way?” Leading Palestinian and Israeli experts along with international diplomats and scholars answer this timely question by examining a scenario with two parallel state structures, both covering the whole territory between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, allowing for shared rather than competing claims of sovereignty. Such a political architecture would radically transform the nature and stakes of the Israel-Palestine conflict, open up for Israelis to remain in the West Bank and maintain their security position, enable Palestinians to settle in all of historic Palestine, and transform Jerusalem into a capital for both of full equality and independence—all without disturbing the demographic balance of each state. Exploring themes of security, resistance, diaspora, globalism, and religion, as well as forms of political and economic power that are not dependent on claims of exclusive territorial sovereignty, this pioneering book offers new ideas for the resolution of conflicts worldwide.

Ten Myths About Israel

Ten Myths About Israel PDF Author: Ilan Pappe
Publisher: Verso Books
ISBN: 1804297046
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
The myths and reality behind the state of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—from “the most eloquent writer on Palestinian history” (New Statesman) The outspoken and radical Israeli historian Ilan Pappe examines the most contested ideas concerning the origins and identity of the contemporary state of Israel. The “ten myths”—repeated endlessly in the media, enforced by the military, and accepted without question by the world’s governments—reinforce the regional status quo and include: • Palestine was an empty land at the time of the Balfour Declaration. • The Jews were a people without a land. • There is no difference between Zionism and Judaism. • Zionism is not a colonial project of occupation. • The Palestinians left their Homeland voluntarily in 1948. • The June 1967 War was a war of ‘No Choice’. • Israel is the only Democracy in the Middle East. • The Oslo Mythologies • The Gaza Mythologies • The Two-State Solution For students, activists, and anyone interested in better understanding the news, Ten Myths About Israel is another groundbreaking study of the Israel-Palestine conflict from the author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.

Mythologies Without End

Mythologies Without End PDF Author: Jerome Slater
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0190459085
Category : Arab-Israeli conflict
Languages : en
Pages : 515

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Book Description
In Mythologies Without End, Jerome Slater takes stock of the conflict over time and argues that US policies in the region are largely a product of mythologies that are often flatly wrong. Because of their widespread acceptance, there have been devastating consequences to the true interests of both countries. He argues that a critical examination and refutation of the many mythologies is a necessary first step toward solving the Arab-Israeliconflict.

The Only Language They Understand

The Only Language They Understand PDF Author: Nathan Thrall
Publisher: Metropolitan Books
ISBN: 1627797092
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
In a myth-busting analysis of the world's most intractable conflict, a star of Middle East reporting argues that only one weapon has yielded progress: confrontation. Scattered over the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea lie the remnants of failed peace proposals, international summits, secret negotiations, UN resolutions and state-building efforts. The conventional story is that these well-meaning attempts at peacemaking were repeatedly thwarted by the use of violence. Through a rich interweaving of reportage, historical narrative and forceful analysis, Nathan Thrall presents a startling counter-history. He shows that Israelis and Palestinians have persistently been marching toward partition, but not through the high politics of diplomacy or the incremental building of a Palestinian state. In fact, negotiation, collaboration and state-building--the prescription of successive American administrations--have paradoxically entrenched the conflict in multiple ways. They have created the illusion that a solution is at hand, lessened Israel's incentives to end its control over the West Bank and Gaza and undermined Palestinian unity. Ultimately, it is those who have embraced confrontation through boycotts, lawsuits, resolutions imposed by outside powers, protests, civil disobedience, and even violence who have brought about the most significant change. Published as Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza reaches its fiftieth year, which is also the centenary of the Balfour Declaration that first promised a Jewish national home in Palestine, The Only Language They Understand advances a bold thesis that shatters ingrained positions of both left and right and provides a new and eye-opening understanding of this most vexed of lands.

Beyond the Two-State Solution

Beyond the Two-State Solution PDF Author: Yehouda Shenhav
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0745662943
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
For over two decades, many liberals in Israel have attempted, with wide international support, to implement the two-state solution: Israel and Palestine, partitioned on the basis of the Green Line - that is, the line drawn by the 1949 Armistice Agreements that defined Israel’s borders until 1967, before Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza following the Six-Day War. By going back to Israel’s pre-1967 borders, many people hope to restore Israel to what they imagine was its pristine, pre-occupation character and to provide a solid basis for a long-term solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this original and controversial essay, Yehouda Shenhav argues that this vision is an illusion that ignores historical realities and offers no long-term solution. It fails to see that the real problem is that a state was created in most of Palestine in 1948 in which Jews are the privileged ethnic group, at the expense of the Palestinians - who also must live under a constant state of emergency. The issue will not be resolved by the two-state solution, which will do little for the millions of Palestinian refugees and will also require the uprooting of hundreds of thousands of Jews living across the Green Line. All these obstacles require a bolder rethinking of the issues: the Green Line should be abandoned and a new type of polity created on the complete territory of mandatory Palestine, with a new set of constitutional arrangements that address the rights of both Palestinians and Jews, including the settlers.

Beyond the Nation-State

Beyond the Nation-State PDF Author: Dmitry Shumsky
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300241097
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
A revisionist account of Zionist history, challenging the inevitability of a one-state solution, from a bold, path-breaking young scholar The Jewish nation-state has often been thought of as Zionism’s end goal. In this bracing history of the idea of the Jewish state in modern Zionism, from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century until the establishment of the state of Israel, Dmitry Shumsky challenges this deeply rooted assumption. In doing so, he complicates the narrative of the Zionist quest for full sovereignty, provocatively showing how and why the leaders of the pre-state Zionist movement imagined, articulated and promoted theories of self-determination in Palestine either as part of a multinational Ottoman state (1882-1917), or in the framework of multinational democracy. In particular, Shumsky focuses on the writings and policies of five key Zionist leaders from the Habsburg and Russian empires in central and eastern Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: Leon Pinsker, Theodor Herzl, Ahad Ha’am, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, and David Ben-Gurion to offer a very pointed critique of Zionist historiography.

The One-State Solution

The One-State Solution PDF Author: Virginia Tilley
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
ISBN: 047202616X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
"A clear, trenchant book on a topic of enormous importance . . . a courageous plunge into boiling waters. If The One-State Solution helps propel forward a debate that has hardly begun in this country it will have performed a signal scholarly and political function." ---Tony Judt, New York University ". . . a pioneering text. . . . [A]s such it will take pride of place in a brewing debate." ---Gary Sussman, Tel Aviv University "The words ‘The One-State Solution' seem to strike dread, at the least, or terror, at the most, in any established, institutional, or mainstream discourse having to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. . . . It therefore takes great courage---and I use the word literally---to title explicitly a book under that infamous label. . . . Virginia Tilley is blessed with such courage and complements it with the requisite academic erudition. . . . Weaving her way through the historical progression of Zionism and through late 20th century and current international and Middle Eastern politics, she shows how the additional, pernicious state of settlement expansion (abetted by other massive human rights violations that go with the occupation) has brought us to the point where only a one-state solution can provide a just peace (and not just a state of conflict management going under the misnomer of peace)." --- Anat Biletsky, Middle East Journal Recent events have once more put the Israeli-Palestinian issue on the front page. After decades of failed peace initiatives, the prospect of reconciliation is in the air yet again as the principal actors maneuver to end the conflict and---the world hopes---bring peace to the region. A one-state solution is a way toward that peace and needs serious, renewed consideration. The One-State Solution explains how Israeli settlements have encroached on the occupied territory of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to such an extent that any Palestinian state in those areas is unworkable. And it reveals the irreversible impact of Israel's settlement grid by summarizing its physical, demographic, financial, and political dimensions. Virginia Tilley elucidates why we should assume that this grid will not be withdrawn---or its expansion reversed---by reviewing the role of the key political actors: the Israeli government, the United States, the Arab states, and the European Union. Finally, Tilley focuses on the daunting obstacles to a one-state solution---including major revision of the Zionist dream but also Palestinian and other regional resistance---and offers some ideas about how those obstacles might be addressed. Virginia Tilley is Chief Research Specialist in the Democracy and Governance Division of the Human Resources Council in Cape Town, South Africa.

A State at Any Cost

A State at Any Cost PDF Author: Tom Segev
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 1429951842
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 816

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Book Description
2019 National Jewish Book Award Finalist "[A] fascinating biography . . . a masterly portrait of a titanic yet unfulfilled man . . . this is a gripping study of power, and the loneliness of power." —The Economist As the founder of Israel, David Ben-Gurion long ago secured his reputation as a leading figure of the twentieth century. Determined from an early age to create a Jewish state, he thereupon took control of the Zionist movement, declared Israel’s independence, and navigated his country through wars, controversies and remarkable achievements. And yet Ben-Gurion remains an enigma—he could be driven and imperious, or quizzical and confounding. In this definitive biography, Israel’s leading journalist-historian Tom Segev uses large amounts of previously unreleased archival material to give an original, nuanced account, transcending the myths and legends that have accreted around the man. Segev’s probing biography ranges from the villages of Poland to Manhattan libraries, London hotels, and the hills of Palestine, and shows us Ben-Gurion’s relentless activity across six decades. Along the way, Segev reveals for the first time Ben-Gurion’s secret negotiations with the British on the eve of Israel’s independence, his willingness to countenance the forced transfer of Arab neighbors, his relative indifference to Jerusalem, and his occasional “nutty moments”—from UFO sightings to plans for Israel to acquire territory in South America. Segev also reveals that Ben-Gurion first heard about the Holocaust from a Palestinian Arab acquaintance, and explores his tempestuous private life, including the testimony of four former lovers. The result is a full and startling portrait of a man who sought a state “at any cost”—at times through risk-taking, violence, and unpredictability, and at other times through compromise, moderation, and reason. Segev’s Ben-Gurion is neither a saint nor a villain but rather a historical actor who belongs in the company of Lenin or Churchill—a twentieth-century leader whose iron will and complex temperament left a complex and contentious legacy that we still reckon with today.