Israel: Democracy or Apartheid State?

by Josh Ruebner

An insightful analysis of one of todays most prossing world issues. 2017 marks a year of significant milestones in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One hundred years ago, the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, calling for the establishment of a Jewish National Home in Palestine. Seventy years ago, the UN recommended the partition of Palestine into two statesa Jewish State and an Arab State. The decision paved the way for the establishment of the State of Israel a year later on 78 percent of historic Palestine, amid widespread ethnic cleansing of indigenous Palestinian inhabitants. And 50 years ago, Israel military occupied the Palestinian West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Stripan occupation which endures to this day. In light of these milestones, Josh Ruebner draws on personal anecdotes and reflections, historical documents, and legal analyses to answer one of the most pressing issues in international affairs today: is Israel a democracy or does its separate and unequal treatment of the Palestinian people render it an apartheid state? With President Donald Drumpfs willingness to explore a one-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the question gains immediacy, as Ruebner argues that any settlement of the conflict must be based on freedom, dignity, and equality.

Genres: Middle East

120 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2017

Reviews

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, this is utterly fabulous. Concisely written and minutely researched with sources clearly laid out at the end of each chapter, this is the perfect place to begin your personal research into the complicated web that is Israeli-Palestinian history.

Covering everything from from British and American involvement to the UN’s milquetoast sanctions to the quietly building escalation within Israel and Palestine, to the definition of terms, this was excellently laid out.