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One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse
A provocative approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict--one state for two peoples--that is sure to touch nerves on all sides
The Israeli-Palestinian war has been called the world's most intractable conflict. It is by now a commonplace that the only way to end the violence is to divide the territory in two, and all efforts at a resolution have come down to haggling over who gets Will Israel hand over 90 percent of the West Bank or only 60 percent? Will a Palestinian state include any part of Jerusalem?
Clear-eyed, sharply reasoned, and compassionate, One Country proposes a radical to revive an old and neglected idea of one state shared by two peoples. Ali Abunimah shows how the two are by now so intertwined--geographically and economically--that separation cannot lead to the security Israelis need or the rights Palestinians must have. He reveals the bankruptcy of the two-state approach, takes on the objections and taboos that stand in the way of a binational solution, and demonstrates that sharing the territory will bring benefits for all. The absence of other workable options has only lead to ever greater extremism; it is time, Abunimah suggests, for Palestinians and Israelis to imagine a different future and a different relationship.
The Israeli-Palestinian war has been called the world's most intractable conflict. It is by now a commonplace that the only way to end the violence is to divide the territory in two, and all efforts at a resolution have come down to haggling over who gets Will Israel hand over 90 percent of the West Bank or only 60 percent? Will a Palestinian state include any part of Jerusalem?
Clear-eyed, sharply reasoned, and compassionate, One Country proposes a radical to revive an old and neglected idea of one state shared by two peoples. Ali Abunimah shows how the two are by now so intertwined--geographically and economically--that separation cannot lead to the security Israelis need or the rights Palestinians must have. He reveals the bankruptcy of the two-state approach, takes on the objections and taboos that stand in the way of a binational solution, and demonstrates that sharing the territory will bring benefits for all. The absence of other workable options has only lead to ever greater extremism; it is time, Abunimah suggests, for Palestinians and Israelis to imagine a different future and a different relationship.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
21 people are currently reading
1073 people want to read
About the author
Ali Abunimah
11 books66 followersAli Abunimah is a Palestinian-American journalist who has been described as "the leading American proponent of a one-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict".
Abunimah is one of the founders of The Electronic Intifada website, a non-profit online publication which covers the Israeli–Palestinian conflict from a Palestinian perspective, and which was established in 2001. He is also the author of two books, One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse (Picador, 2007) and The Battle for Justice in Palestine (Haymarket, 2014).
Born in Washington, D.C., Abunimah spent his early years in the United Kingdom and Belgium before returning to the United States to attend college. His mother is originally from the village of Lifta, now part of Israel, but she became a refugee in the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight. His father is from the village of Battir, now in the West Bank, and is a former Jordanian diplomat who served as ambassador to the United Nations.
Abunimah received degrees from Princeton University and the University of Chicago. A resident of Chicago who contributes regularly to publications such as the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, he has served as the vice-president on the board of directors of the Arab American Action Network, is a fellow at the Palestine Center, and is a co-founder of The Electronic Intifada website.
He has appeared on many television discussion programs on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and other networks, and in a number of documentaries about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, including Collecting Stories from Exile: Chicago Palestinians Remember 1948 (1999).
Abunimah is one of the founders of The Electronic Intifada website, a non-profit online publication which covers the Israeli–Palestinian conflict from a Palestinian perspective, and which was established in 2001. He is also the author of two books, One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse (Picador, 2007) and The Battle for Justice in Palestine (Haymarket, 2014).
Born in Washington, D.C., Abunimah spent his early years in the United Kingdom and Belgium before returning to the United States to attend college. His mother is originally from the village of Lifta, now part of Israel, but she became a refugee in the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight. His father is from the village of Battir, now in the West Bank, and is a former Jordanian diplomat who served as ambassador to the United Nations.
Abunimah received degrees from Princeton University and the University of Chicago. A resident of Chicago who contributes regularly to publications such as the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, he has served as the vice-president on the board of directors of the Arab American Action Network, is a fellow at the Palestine Center, and is a co-founder of The Electronic Intifada website.
He has appeared on many television discussion programs on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and other networks, and in a number of documentaries about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, including Collecting Stories from Exile: Chicago Palestinians Remember 1948 (1999).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 2, 2008
Ali Abunimah's new book, One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse, exposes the impracticality of partition and presents an alternative vision, one that encompasses both peoples on the basis of equal rights.
Abunimah's book may not be the key to a one state solution, as he readily admits, but it is surely a well founded guide to help Palestinians and Israelis begin to resolve the conflict.
Abunimah's book may not be the key to a one state solution, as he readily admits, but it is surely a well founded guide to help Palestinians and Israelis begin to resolve the conflict.
June 26, 2022
Here’s what an actual one state perspective looks like, starting with the argument about the British involvement.
The Palestinian narrative claims that the British supported the Zionists and they’re right. The Balfour declaration boosted Zionist support, gave away rights to land that wasn’t theirs. The British brutally suppressed the 1936 Arab riots and dismantled the Palestinian elite which meant the Jews had an advantage in organizing later. The British gave Jews more support, as part of the usual colonialization techniques of divide and conquer.
The Israeli narrative claims that the British supported the Palestinians and they’re also right. Following Palestinian requests, the British banned Jewish immigration during the Holocaust, an awful decision that has absolutely cost Jews in blood. The British did not do much to protect Jews from Arab violence which forced Jews to arm themselves. They then punished Jews for arming themselves. The British promised Jews that they’d help them establish a country but then promptly stabbed them in the back and starting suggesting increasingly pro-Palestinian plans. Many of them fought with the Palestinians against the Jews in the civil war.
The truth is that the British didn’t give a single fuck about Zionists or Palestinians. The British cared about themselves and themselves only. This is a perspective that both Israelis and Palestinians can accept, an Israeli-Palestinian narrative, if you will.
We can do this with every single narrative clash, shift through the facts until we find mutual ground. This, however, needs to stem from an understanding that there is truth in the Israeli and Palestinian narratives. Ali Abunimah doesn’t do this and that’s why this book gets one star. Try harder.
Full review to come, I have 4 hours to write 8 more pages about Lebanon
The Palestinian narrative claims that the British supported the Zionists and they’re right. The Balfour declaration boosted Zionist support, gave away rights to land that wasn’t theirs. The British brutally suppressed the 1936 Arab riots and dismantled the Palestinian elite which meant the Jews had an advantage in organizing later. The British gave Jews more support, as part of the usual colonialization techniques of divide and conquer.
The Israeli narrative claims that the British supported the Palestinians and they’re also right. Following Palestinian requests, the British banned Jewish immigration during the Holocaust, an awful decision that has absolutely cost Jews in blood. The British did not do much to protect Jews from Arab violence which forced Jews to arm themselves. They then punished Jews for arming themselves. The British promised Jews that they’d help them establish a country but then promptly stabbed them in the back and starting suggesting increasingly pro-Palestinian plans. Many of them fought with the Palestinians against the Jews in the civil war.
The truth is that the British didn’t give a single fuck about Zionists or Palestinians. The British cared about themselves and themselves only. This is a perspective that both Israelis and Palestinians can accept, an Israeli-Palestinian narrative, if you will.
We can do this with every single narrative clash, shift through the facts until we find mutual ground. This, however, needs to stem from an understanding that there is truth in the Israeli and Palestinian narratives. Ali Abunimah doesn’t do this and that’s why this book gets one star. Try harder.
Full review to come, I have 4 hours to write 8 more pages about Lebanon
July 31, 2018
A brilliant book if the world was hypothetical. Ignores the fact that neither side currently wants one state, and basically spends his time saying "Israel is evil, but if we all become one state, all will be well." Once one side is called "colonized" and one side "the oppressed," it's very hard to see any form of reconciliation of both sides.
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January 24, 2016This past August, a book talk by Mr. Abunimah generated great controversy at our library. Abunimah is an ardent defender of Palestinian rights: one of his central views (expressed in both of his books) is that the modern Israel was established wrongly on Palestinian territory and has no right to exist as a Jewish state. Some would say this reflects blatant anti-semitism. He rejects the charge, drawing a distinction between anti-Jewishness (which he decries) and two core anti-Zionist beliefs: that Judaism can't serve as a basis for nationhood, and that Jewish nationalism can't trump Palestinian rights. In Abunimah's view, Israel-Palestine must become a bi-national state, or else the majority of Palestinians will continue to suffer indefensible oppression in the Gaza Strip, the occupied territories, and in Israel itself.
The problem, of course, is that a majority of Jews in Israel and elsewhere -- along with many non-Jews -- believe strongly in Israel's necessity and legitimacy as a Jewish state. Defenders of the modern Israel argue that Jews have constituted a "people" for millennia and have powerful historical ties to the disputed land. Some defenders, Ari Shavit among them, argue further that nations are always born bloodily and tragically, and that Israel couldn't have been born any other way--and needed to be born. In the same way that Abunimah rejects the charge of anti-semitism, Shavit would reject any anti-Palestinian charge, drawing a distinction between such bias and two of his own core beliefs: that what looks to some like cruelty is actually the ugly reality of nation-building throughout history, and that Jews and the world are better off with Israel than without it. In Shavit's view, Israel must not become a bi-national state because such a state (given the region's demographics) would no longer be a Jewish homeland, or even safe for a Jewish minority.
Before picking up either Abunimah or Shavit, consider Jack Ross's biography of Elmer Berger. Berger (1908-1996), a Reform rabbi, was the longtime de facto spokesperson for liberal Jewish anti-Zionists. From 1942 to 1968 he led the anti-Zionist American Council for Judaism, then, for nearly thirty years, American Jewish Alternatives to Zionism. Ross's book is less readable than Abunimah's or Shavit's, and factually inaccurate in places, but it effectively details the dogged efforts of Berger and others to counter the push for Israeli statehood. Ross is as much a disciple as a biographer, supplementing Berger's arguments with his own.
The Israel-Palestine controversy won't be resolved anytime soon, and these authors probably won't sway anyone with a strong opinion on the matter. But collectively they are worthy guides for the perplexed. (Jeff B., Reader's Services)
The problem, of course, is that a majority of Jews in Israel and elsewhere -- along with many non-Jews -- believe strongly in Israel's necessity and legitimacy as a Jewish state. Defenders of the modern Israel argue that Jews have constituted a "people" for millennia and have powerful historical ties to the disputed land. Some defenders, Ari Shavit among them, argue further that nations are always born bloodily and tragically, and that Israel couldn't have been born any other way--and needed to be born. In the same way that Abunimah rejects the charge of anti-semitism, Shavit would reject any anti-Palestinian charge, drawing a distinction between such bias and two of his own core beliefs: that what looks to some like cruelty is actually the ugly reality of nation-building throughout history, and that Jews and the world are better off with Israel than without it. In Shavit's view, Israel must not become a bi-national state because such a state (given the region's demographics) would no longer be a Jewish homeland, or even safe for a Jewish minority.
Before picking up either Abunimah or Shavit, consider Jack Ross's biography of Elmer Berger. Berger (1908-1996), a Reform rabbi, was the longtime de facto spokesperson for liberal Jewish anti-Zionists. From 1942 to 1968 he led the anti-Zionist American Council for Judaism, then, for nearly thirty years, American Jewish Alternatives to Zionism. Ross's book is less readable than Abunimah's or Shavit's, and factually inaccurate in places, but it effectively details the dogged efforts of Berger and others to counter the push for Israeli statehood. Ross is as much a disciple as a biographer, supplementing Berger's arguments with his own.
The Israel-Palestine controversy won't be resolved anytime soon, and these authors probably won't sway anyone with a strong opinion on the matter. But collectively they are worthy guides for the perplexed. (Jeff B., Reader's Services)
September 26, 2016
For a book proposing that Israelis and Palestinians live in one binational country, Abunimah's One Country offers primarily an Arab perspective of the ongoing crisis. He says the two-state solution has failed because the majorities on both sides cannot agree on a satisfactory partition. But he also thinks peace proposals have undermined the Palestinian cause for statehood due to Israel’s refusal to withdraw from the occupied territories and their denial of basic human rights to Palestinians. Many of his conclusions echo the central idea from Jimmy Carter’s book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, which exposes Israel as an aggressor and oppressor. Abunimah’s book, however, examines Palestinian mistakes within the context of Israeli injustices in order to gain a deeper understanding of the complex issues that have led to regrettable actions on both sides. Abunimah has conducted a great deal of research, and his findings try to show how Israel’s faults have provoked Palestinian response. Yet his outlook is unique in that he recognizes that history told from the vantage point of each side tends to make the other look guilty. It is refreshing to hear him speak of the need for Palestinians to embrace efforts of civil resistance that maximize pressure on Israel without resorting to violence against Jews. He is clear in wishing for both sides to have a safe and secure right to self-determination. He draws on his own parents’ memories of living peacefully with Jews in pre-1947 Palestine as a basis to believing in the potential for binationalism. He praises the success of multiethnic societies in Belgium and South Africa for overcoming damaging pasts to serve as models of coexistence. As a Palestinian, Abunimah expresses the strife of the Arabs, but in general he is optimistic about future reconciliation allowing for a unified state for all Palestinians and Israelis.
June 2, 2009
I ordered this book after hearing Alice Walker recommend it on Pacifica Radio. The State of Israel is one of the main philosophical conundrums "occupying" my mind.
5/4 - I got the book today and read the introduction. I think I will like this book...and I think I will be in agreement w/ Abunimah that a one-state solution is best. This issue is very close to my heart.
6/1 - Finished this book last night. I must have been ripe for it because by the end I found myself feeling committed to a shared country for Israelis and Palestinians. If you think I'm crazy, read it!
5/4 - I got the book today and read the introduction. I think I will like this book...and I think I will be in agreement w/ Abunimah that a one-state solution is best. This issue is very close to my heart.
6/1 - Finished this book last night. I must have been ripe for it because by the end I found myself feeling committed to a shared country for Israelis and Palestinians. If you think I'm crazy, read it!
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May 3, 2025“Israel’s ‘right’ to be a Jewish state with a Jewish majority might be justifiable in the abstract, but cannot be implemented in practice without abandoning the most elementary democratic and human rights principles. If Israel truly had been established in a ‘land without a people,’ as traditional Zionist historiography holds, then its organization would be no one else’s business, the concern only of the people who lived there. But this was never the case. When a large non-Jewish population is not only present but indigenous, then Israel’s right to a Jewish majority can be enforced only at the expense of the rights and basic existence of that population.”
February 19, 2024
required reading. hopeful, personal, forward-looking, justice-based.
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July 28, 2011“One Country” by Ali Abunimah
The Israeli/ Palestinian conflict is one of the most intractable conflicts of the century. Several attempts at resolving it have lead to utter failure. The author of this book believes that political leaders have been adopting the wrong approach. His title just about sums things up, One Country for both people.
Mr. Abunimah believe that the key to resolving this conflict lies not with forgetting the past as most would believe. He believes in remembering a past where in arab and Jews got along together very well. He sights several examples of friendship. He also used the Hebron massacres of 1929 as an example believe it or not. In the massacre 29 Jews in Hebron were killed by arab rioting inspired by Haj Anin al Husseini. Mr. Abunimah believes that the focus should not be on the 29 jews who were killed but on the fact that it was arab neighbors that hid their jewish neighbors in their houses to protect them.
Two state solutions are not viable. While the UN voted for partition something which the Jews accepted and the Palestinians rejected, there was a strong minority in the UN favoring a Bi-National state. Mr. Aabunimah goes on to state two reasons why the partition was rejected. First the Palestinian felt it was their land why should they partition something that is theirs. Next there was a fear that the Zionists would use the part of Palestine they gained as a foot hold to take even more land. Now a days with the increased amount of settlements and by pass road a division of the land into two states is unrealistic. Palestine would carved up into enclave which is not viable for a state and no Israeli government would uproot entire cities that have been built in the West bank since the 1967 war.
The next issue Mr. Abunimah brings to the table is the demographics. As it stands right now in the borders of Israel/Palestine there are more Palestinians then there are Jews. Many Israelis are afraid of the numerical superiority. Several Israeli academics have predicted this and have tried to warn Israeli governments about this. Sharon’s government took notice. That is why they disengaged from gaza. According to the author the disegagement was a smoke screen. While they were showing the world that they were withdrawing for peace they were quietly expanding settlement activity in the West Bank. More over the Israeli academics who warned about this said that pulling out from Gaza would just lead to more injustice.
The only solution then is one state for both people. He used Belgium as an example where in the confederation of autonomous areas band together to form a country. Each area is given control over domestic things like culture, education, trash collection etc and both groups would join together for national elections. Also he advises Arab Jand Jewish kids to take classes in both Arabic and Hebrew. He also advocates learning about the Palestinian Nakba and Israeli independence in the school.
In the last two chapters he uses South Africa as an example of how things worked and he also documents growing acceptance of the one state solution among both Arab and Jewish Circles.
The Israeli/ Palestinian conflict is one of the most intractable conflicts of the century. Several attempts at resolving it have lead to utter failure. The author of this book believes that political leaders have been adopting the wrong approach. His title just about sums things up, One Country for both people.
Mr. Abunimah believe that the key to resolving this conflict lies not with forgetting the past as most would believe. He believes in remembering a past where in arab and Jews got along together very well. He sights several examples of friendship. He also used the Hebron massacres of 1929 as an example believe it or not. In the massacre 29 Jews in Hebron were killed by arab rioting inspired by Haj Anin al Husseini. Mr. Abunimah believes that the focus should not be on the 29 jews who were killed but on the fact that it was arab neighbors that hid their jewish neighbors in their houses to protect them.
Two state solutions are not viable. While the UN voted for partition something which the Jews accepted and the Palestinians rejected, there was a strong minority in the UN favoring a Bi-National state. Mr. Aabunimah goes on to state two reasons why the partition was rejected. First the Palestinian felt it was their land why should they partition something that is theirs. Next there was a fear that the Zionists would use the part of Palestine they gained as a foot hold to take even more land. Now a days with the increased amount of settlements and by pass road a division of the land into two states is unrealistic. Palestine would carved up into enclave which is not viable for a state and no Israeli government would uproot entire cities that have been built in the West bank since the 1967 war.
The next issue Mr. Abunimah brings to the table is the demographics. As it stands right now in the borders of Israel/Palestine there are more Palestinians then there are Jews. Many Israelis are afraid of the numerical superiority. Several Israeli academics have predicted this and have tried to warn Israeli governments about this. Sharon’s government took notice. That is why they disengaged from gaza. According to the author the disegagement was a smoke screen. While they were showing the world that they were withdrawing for peace they were quietly expanding settlement activity in the West Bank. More over the Israeli academics who warned about this said that pulling out from Gaza would just lead to more injustice.
The only solution then is one state for both people. He used Belgium as an example where in the confederation of autonomous areas band together to form a country. Each area is given control over domestic things like culture, education, trash collection etc and both groups would join together for national elections. Also he advises Arab Jand Jewish kids to take classes in both Arabic and Hebrew. He also advocates learning about the Palestinian Nakba and Israeli independence in the school.
In the last two chapters he uses South Africa as an example of how things worked and he also documents growing acceptance of the one state solution among both Arab and Jewish Circles.
January 19, 2013
Loved this book! Abunimah provides a radical, provocative and ultimately, compassionate path forward to peace in "Israel-Palestine" through his vision for One State. His vision for justice for Palestinians is rooted in the human rights principles of the equality and dignity of all people and a belief in humans' fundamental ability to co-exist in pluralistic societies when given equal rights. I picked up "One Country" hoping to gain knowledge about the foundations of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict; I feel that the book provided a wide-ranging, deeply felt, and human depiction of a situation of gross injustice, misunderstanding, and ignorance while also providing an illuminating roadway out to another possible reality. I am left motivated to continue to learn about the issue and hopefully, be a part of the solution.
March 29, 2009
brilliant, clear, thoughtful, concise.
if you're a conflict-watcher or activist or whatever, read this.
Abunimah doesn't get bogged down (as I so often do) in discussions of collective psychology or history or overmuch geopolitical analysis--straight to the point that partition isn't going to work because the Jewish and Arab populations are so intermixed at this point.
Also a beautiful argument for democratic secularism in all its forms. and a gentle comparison to South Africa, not via demonizing the state but in terms of a hopeful and practical vision of reconciliation...
for a long time i've believed that a one-state solution is more desirable and just but that a two-state solution is WAAAAAAY more achievable. now i'm not at all sure.
if you're a conflict-watcher or activist or whatever, read this.
Abunimah doesn't get bogged down (as I so often do) in discussions of collective psychology or history or overmuch geopolitical analysis--straight to the point that partition isn't going to work because the Jewish and Arab populations are so intermixed at this point.
Also a beautiful argument for democratic secularism in all its forms. and a gentle comparison to South Africa, not via demonizing the state but in terms of a hopeful and practical vision of reconciliation...
for a long time i've believed that a one-state solution is more desirable and just but that a two-state solution is WAAAAAAY more achievable. now i'm not at all sure.
June 11, 2007
i learned some things from him, but since i already agree with the one country solution it didnt hit me that hard. this is a short, very biased book.
December 24, 2024
One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse by Ali Abunimah examines the history of Palestine in the context of the creation and reasoning behind the two-state solution often presented by those in power. Abunimah demonstrates clearly how interwoven the the Palestinian and Israeli societies are and the difficulties that would arise from trying to unweave the reality of the economics and geography of the two. He breaks down the issues with the two-state solution in a methodical way before putting forth a proposal for a one-state solution based on equality, fairness, and justice. One Country is filled with interesting ideas and puts forth the beginnings of a plan for a path forward that seems at once reasonable and unlikely.
December 19, 2020
this book was an incredibly interesting read and an optimistic proposal for the end of the conflict. anyone looking to understand the potential solutions should definitely give this a read.
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November 14, 2023helpful sections, including why two state solutions have consistently failed and I learned a lot from the section comparing Palestinian liberation movements to SA anti apartheid movement, but ultimately the “one country” vision he laid out felt a bit simplistic and dated.
July 31, 2013
This book successfully convinced me the only way forward is one country that embraces all ethnicities.
Quote from the book:
"With the failure of the two-state solution and ongoing realignments within both Israeli and Palestinian politics, we are at a moment of profound uncertainty and risk but also of tantalizing opportunity. There is no credible "peace process" to provide hope that the misery on the ground is merely a transitory phase on the way to deliverance, and the one big idea that is supposed to save us—the Palestinian state—lies in tatters. There is a need for urgent action on two fronts: One is in the realm of dialogue, imagination, and construction of an inclusive vision. At the same time, there is a pressing need for resistance to the outcome Israel is trying to impose on the Palestinians, one that can only lead to greater bloodshed and suffering on all sides. These appear to be contradictory mandates, but they must go hand in hand."
Quote from the book:
"With the failure of the two-state solution and ongoing realignments within both Israeli and Palestinian politics, we are at a moment of profound uncertainty and risk but also of tantalizing opportunity. There is no credible "peace process" to provide hope that the misery on the ground is merely a transitory phase on the way to deliverance, and the one big idea that is supposed to save us—the Palestinian state—lies in tatters. There is a need for urgent action on two fronts: One is in the realm of dialogue, imagination, and construction of an inclusive vision. At the same time, there is a pressing need for resistance to the outcome Israel is trying to impose on the Palestinians, one that can only lead to greater bloodshed and suffering on all sides. These appear to be contradictory mandates, but they must go hand in hand."
September 26, 2007
Brilliant. So obvious, simple and clear. I've always thought that the notion of elective/dual citizenship in the good friday agreement in Northern ireland was a good model for resolving Palestine/Israel and that the two-state solution is ridiculous folly. Abunimah explores this very clearly and uses many South African experiences to explore how it could work. Refreshing to hear something hopeful about this horror. Let's hope that there are brave and visionary Palestinians and Israelis outside of the current political machines that take this idea and build a grass roots movement from it. Let's hope that a multi-cultural Palestine/Israel is born that looks something like South Africa and not too much like Lebanon.
September 23, 2009
This book was exactly what I wanted in a book about Palestine. Abunimah intertwined relevant moments from his own family's history with a sharp, hopeful, and most importantly easy to read account of Zionism and a proposal for a one state solution. Abunimah made a compelling and detailed arguement for the ways in which the idea of a two state solution has maintained Israelis and Palestinians in a state of violent limbo year after year. I loved that he was compassionate towards both sides and talked about feelings and trauma and fear without apologizing for Israel's oppresive project. I learned A LOT! Read it! Now!
September 12, 2013
This is a very well-written book. Ali Abunimah writes very eloquently for why a one-state solution is the only viable solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He believes the two-state solution only offers a dwindling supply of false hope, while it does not lead to any real solution. For his one-state proposal, Ali outlines eight principles rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He then shows that this kind of solution is not unprecedented, especially in post-apartheid South Africa.
March 5, 2011
Even though I was already convinced that a one-state solution would be the most just one for the Israel-Palestine conflict, this book clearly lays out why, including some arguments that had previously never figured into my rationale/understanding. I also learned a lot about South Africa and how the situation there is similar or different to the Zionist worldview, history, political ambition, settlement...NOT just apartheid, but from the very beginning. It was super interesting. I definitely recommend this book.
June 6, 2017
The problem is that Israel cannot be both a democracy and Jewish. The other problem is that it's hard to see, with the growth of settlements and building of the separation wall, how Palestine will ever have enough land, it's people sufficient freedom of movement, it's democratically elected leaders sufficient sovereignty, to be a genuine viable state. So it does seem somehow all these people - Jewish Israelis, Arab Israelis, and Palestinians will have to live in one state. That's what Ali Abunimah argues and argues well here.
November 14, 2007
One of the best books I've read (and I've read a bunch at this point) on Israel/Palestine and how to move forward. Abunimah is a clear and young voice of compassion and reconciliation in a world of elderly and infirm voices who espouse a tortured logic. If you're of the mind that the only way to peace in Israel/Palestine is a one state solution, you should read this book. If you're not, it goes double that you should read this book.
August 7, 2008
brilliant analysis on why a two-state solution is no solution at all for palestians and israelis. impecably researched and executed. informative, yet soulful. abunimah produced a balanced narrative without compromising his subjectivity as a palestinian within the diaspora. questions about land, human rights, borders, military occupation and FREEDOM are interrogated in abunima's bold proposal for truth, reconciliation and healing in the middle east.
September 11, 2009
A succinct, well-argued possible solution to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. It's appealing because Abunimah focuses on human rights, democratic principles, and minority political and cultural rights. He argues for a one-state solution based on reconciliation (like in South Africa), instead of ethnically-based land claims that inevitably make two-state partition agreements impossible.
Sometimes I wonder how my position as an outsider influences my agreement with compromises like this.
Sometimes I wonder how my position as an outsider influences my agreement with compromises like this.
December 20, 2010
Fantastic and amazing proposal that stays true to our basic human values as a basis for arguments. It might be more of an activist point of view than one that can be realistically carried on and implemented, but it's great to see that the disturbing reality of the situation doesn't deter some from reaching out to what is right and be perfectionists in seeing the future. It caters to the world community more than it does to Palestinians or Israelis, which might be its main weakness.
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August 18, 2016THE moral, ethical, and practical solution to the israeli-palestinian conflict. Rooted in universal human rights, democratic values, and justice. Abunimah's vision is clear and far reaching, his message profoundly simple and uncompromising, he is the modern voice of palestine, struggling for the freedom and human rights so long denied, voicing the dignity and resolve of a people long slandered and dehumanized but never defeated.
May 11, 2015
Open position for a leader with vision in the Middle-East
A healthy view and prescription how to cure the malady between Jews and Palestinians in the Middle-East. The author's optimism radiates with hope that one day a brave leader will arise, one with the vision like Nelson Mandela's.
A healthy view and prescription how to cure the malady between Jews and Palestinians in the Middle-East. The author's optimism radiates with hope that one day a brave leader will arise, one with the vision like Nelson Mandela's.
September 27, 2017
My only real critique of this book is it should of been longer and extended the idea of one nation. It is definetly an objective book and at no time did I feel it was being subjectice. If anything the author was trying his best to stray away from the usual contexts these books bring when it comes to the Palestinian - Israeli Conflict.
July 9, 2019
Spends too much time attacking Israel to be effective
While I agree a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian impasse (as Abunimah calls it) would be wonderful, there are two major obstacles that our Palestinian-American author does not acknowledge. One is the continuing teaching of hatred toward Jews by the Palestinians, and the second is the fact that the Palestinians and the Jews are not alone in the impasse. The Palestinian people are beholden to the wider Arab/Muslim community and are used by that community as a justification for hatred and terrorism. The Jews of course are beholden to the large population of Americans who are Jewish who see Israel as a necessary part of their world view.
Consequently any solution that fails to take into account these larger communities is bound to fail. Abunimah cites Belgium, South Africa, Canada, and India as countries where different ethnic groups are able to live in harmony under the banner of a single nation state. However the situation in the "one country" he envisions is very different from those countries in this one important respect: a significant percentage of Palestinians deny the right of Jews to exist and would kill them if they could get away with it. Neither the Dutch nor the French-speaking people of Belgium teach their children to hate the other nor do they teach them that the highest calling is to martyr yourself for God by killing the other. Unfortunately, egged on and supported by Arab Muslims from without, this is what many Palestinians do. How can the Jewish people ever feel safe living with people who are teaching their children to hate and kill them?
The solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will only come about when the Jews feel safe from violent fear of death and that will only happen when the Palestinian and other Arab Muslim people no longer preach hatred toward Jews.
Abunimah does not further the prospect of a lasting peace in the Middle East with this book because he devotes most of it to a continuing (although carefully worded) rant against the Jewish state. He begins in the Introduction with the idea of remembering the past when the Palestinians and the Jews got along. But he quickly reverts to the usual rehashing of what the Israelis have done to the Palestinians, and he continues this stance throughout the next three chapters. He doesn't understand that to continue to harp on what the Palestinian people lost because of the wars with Israel does not further their cause. The Palestinians of course do not want to hear about what the Jews of Europe lost. They will tell you that (a) they were not responsible, and (b) that has nothing to do with the situation in the Holy Lands and is "past history." However most of the rest of the world is (a) not responsible for the plight of the Palestinians (and some believe the Palestinians with "help" from their Arab neighbors in part brought these troubles upon themselves), and (b) what the Palestinians lost is "past history."
What Abunimah should be doing instead of continuing the victimization jabber and the lament about lands lost is to present himself, a successful person of Palestinian descent, as a model that the young people of Palestine can emulate. In other words, he might better encourage them to turn their energies toward making a better life for themselves, as he has done, instead of encouraging them to focus on past ills. Israel is here to stay. Any destruction of Israel will lead to a destruction of the Palestinian people as well. Killing Israelis only leads to killing Palestinians.
I would also say that the Palestinians need to put their faith in the sort of leadership that is realistically looking out for their welfare, not the kind of leadership they are getting and have gotten from the likes of Hezbollah and Hamas and others, organizations that only further their suffering, organizations supported by Arab Muslims who themselves are at some distance from the harm they are doing, organizations that are motivated more by hatred and the desire for revenge than by any desire to help the Palestinian people.
Abunimah has not come to grips with the realities of the situation and that is why he can glibly further a one-state solution in the vain hope that the demographics will lead to something good for the Palestinian people. He abhors the strategies that the Israelis are using in an attempt to establish a clear and sustainable majority of Jews in the Holy Land--even suggesting in Chapter Three, "It Could Happen Here," that some elements of the Jewish state are working toward getting rid of the Palestinian people either by driving them out of the Holy Lands or by genocide, or indeed by any means available.
This sort of dire insinuation again does nobody any good and merely plays into the hands of those whose agenda is focused on destroying Israel regardless of what harm comes to the Palestinians.
Bottom line: life is unfair. It was unfair to Native Americans, to the Neanderthal, to the African slaves, to people in the Third World, to minorities in general. The solution is not to wallow in past ills, forever angry about bad things done to us by others, but to work toward making a better life for ourselves and for our children.
--Dennis Littrell, author of the mystery novel, “Teddy and Teri”
While I agree a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian impasse (as Abunimah calls it) would be wonderful, there are two major obstacles that our Palestinian-American author does not acknowledge. One is the continuing teaching of hatred toward Jews by the Palestinians, and the second is the fact that the Palestinians and the Jews are not alone in the impasse. The Palestinian people are beholden to the wider Arab/Muslim community and are used by that community as a justification for hatred and terrorism. The Jews of course are beholden to the large population of Americans who are Jewish who see Israel as a necessary part of their world view.
Consequently any solution that fails to take into account these larger communities is bound to fail. Abunimah cites Belgium, South Africa, Canada, and India as countries where different ethnic groups are able to live in harmony under the banner of a single nation state. However the situation in the "one country" he envisions is very different from those countries in this one important respect: a significant percentage of Palestinians deny the right of Jews to exist and would kill them if they could get away with it. Neither the Dutch nor the French-speaking people of Belgium teach their children to hate the other nor do they teach them that the highest calling is to martyr yourself for God by killing the other. Unfortunately, egged on and supported by Arab Muslims from without, this is what many Palestinians do. How can the Jewish people ever feel safe living with people who are teaching their children to hate and kill them?
The solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will only come about when the Jews feel safe from violent fear of death and that will only happen when the Palestinian and other Arab Muslim people no longer preach hatred toward Jews.
Abunimah does not further the prospect of a lasting peace in the Middle East with this book because he devotes most of it to a continuing (although carefully worded) rant against the Jewish state. He begins in the Introduction with the idea of remembering the past when the Palestinians and the Jews got along. But he quickly reverts to the usual rehashing of what the Israelis have done to the Palestinians, and he continues this stance throughout the next three chapters. He doesn't understand that to continue to harp on what the Palestinian people lost because of the wars with Israel does not further their cause. The Palestinians of course do not want to hear about what the Jews of Europe lost. They will tell you that (a) they were not responsible, and (b) that has nothing to do with the situation in the Holy Lands and is "past history." However most of the rest of the world is (a) not responsible for the plight of the Palestinians (and some believe the Palestinians with "help" from their Arab neighbors in part brought these troubles upon themselves), and (b) what the Palestinians lost is "past history."
What Abunimah should be doing instead of continuing the victimization jabber and the lament about lands lost is to present himself, a successful person of Palestinian descent, as a model that the young people of Palestine can emulate. In other words, he might better encourage them to turn their energies toward making a better life for themselves, as he has done, instead of encouraging them to focus on past ills. Israel is here to stay. Any destruction of Israel will lead to a destruction of the Palestinian people as well. Killing Israelis only leads to killing Palestinians.
I would also say that the Palestinians need to put their faith in the sort of leadership that is realistically looking out for their welfare, not the kind of leadership they are getting and have gotten from the likes of Hezbollah and Hamas and others, organizations that only further their suffering, organizations supported by Arab Muslims who themselves are at some distance from the harm they are doing, organizations that are motivated more by hatred and the desire for revenge than by any desire to help the Palestinian people.
Abunimah has not come to grips with the realities of the situation and that is why he can glibly further a one-state solution in the vain hope that the demographics will lead to something good for the Palestinian people. He abhors the strategies that the Israelis are using in an attempt to establish a clear and sustainable majority of Jews in the Holy Land--even suggesting in Chapter Three, "It Could Happen Here," that some elements of the Jewish state are working toward getting rid of the Palestinian people either by driving them out of the Holy Lands or by genocide, or indeed by any means available.
This sort of dire insinuation again does nobody any good and merely plays into the hands of those whose agenda is focused on destroying Israel regardless of what harm comes to the Palestinians.
Bottom line: life is unfair. It was unfair to Native Americans, to the Neanderthal, to the African slaves, to people in the Third World, to minorities in general. The solution is not to wallow in past ills, forever angry about bad things done to us by others, but to work toward making a better life for ourselves and for our children.
--Dennis Littrell, author of the mystery novel, “Teddy and Teri”
July 23, 2009
This book is full of hope, solid arguments, and empathy. If you ever ponder the question "what do I want to see happen?", and I think most of us who work around this issue do, Abunimah's book can help you envision a solid answer.
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