Israel and Palestine

With characteristic rigor and readability, Avi Shlaim reflects on a range of key issues, transformations and personalities in the Israel–Palestine conflict. From the 1917 Balfour Declaration to the 2008 invasion of Gaza, Israel and Palestine places current events in their proper historical perspective, and assesses the impact of key political and intellectual figures, including Yasir Arafat and Ariel Sharon, Edward Said and Benny Morris. It also re-examines the United States’ influential role in the conflict, and explores the many missed opportunities for peace and progress. Clear-eyed and meticulous, Israel and Palestine is an essential tool for understanding the fractured history and future prospects of the region.“Highly recommended: Everyone interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—general readers and academics alike—will want to consult this book.”—Choice

“A valuable collection.”—The Economist

“Shlaim ... provides a realpolitik reading of the history, demolishing the heroic and innocent image of Israel in its relations with the Palestinians.”—Foreign Affairs

“Wonderful ... Not often today do we find historians who are this honest and this bleak and this able to express truth so simply.”—Robert Fisk, The Independent

“Shlaim does not aim at a comprehensive overview of the conflict so much as a running rebuttal of Israel’s version of it; an insurgency in the public relations war.”—Rafael Behr, Observer

“... a welcome and timely addition to the continuing debate on the Palestine-Israel conflict and its possible resolution.”—Journal of Palestine StudiesAvi Shlaim is a Fellow of St. Anthony’s College and a professor of international relations at the University of Oxford. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2006. His books include Lion of Jordan: The Life of King Hussein in War and Peace; War and Peace in the Middle East: A Concise History; The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World; and Israel and Palestine: Reappraisals, Revisions, Refutations. He lives in Oxford.