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.
Reviews
Ilan Pappe is Israel's bravest, most principled, most incisive historian. -- John Pilger One of the most prominent Israeli political dissidents living in exile . He is also one of the few Israeli students of the conflict who write about the Palestinian side with real knowledge and empathy. -- Avi Shlaim * Guardian * Along with Edward Said, Ilan Pappe is the most eloquent writer of Palestinian history. * New Statesman * Ten Myths About Israel is a useful primer for people just becoming familiar with the Palestinian liberation struggle - but it is far more than that. It is also a valuable tool for veteran organizers seeking to explain cogently and simply how Israel's foundational myths and ongoing propaganda perpetuate the oppression of the Palestinian people. -- Rod Such * Electronic Intifada * This book is an absolute must for an interested public, the political and the media class to understand what Israel is all about. * American Herald Tribune *
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An urgent, updated reissue of the essential book on the myths-and reality-behind the state of Israel
Map
2024 Preface: Decontextualizing and Dehistoricizing Gaza
Preface
PART I. FALLACIES OF THE PAST
1. Palestine Was an Empty Land
2. The Jews Were a People Without a Land
3. Zionism Is Judaism
4. Zionism Is Not Colonialism
5. The Palestinians Voluntarily Left Their Homeland in 1948
6. The June 1967 War Was a War of "No Choice"
PART II. FALLACIES OF THE PRESENT
7. Israel Is the Only Democracy in the Middle East
8. The Oslo Mythologies
9. The Gaza Mythologies
PART III. LOOKING AHEAD
10. The Two-State Solution Is the Only Way Forward
Conclusion: The Settler Colonial State of Israel in the Twenty-First Century
Timeline
Notes
Index
Ilan Pappe is an Israeli historian and socialist activist. He is a professor with the College of Social Sciences and International Studies at the University of Exeter, Director of the university's European Centre for Palestine Studies, and Co-Director of the Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies. He is the author of the highly acclaimed The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine and The Idea of Israel-which was shortlisted for the JQ Wingate History Prize as well as two co-authored projects with Noam Chomsky: On Palestine and Gaza in Crisis.
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