About the Book

Where Now for Palestine? marks a turning point for the Middle East. Since 2000, the attacks of 9/11, the death of Arafat and the elections of Hamas and Kadima have meant that the Israel/Palestine ‘two-state solution‘ now seems illusory.

This collection critically revisits the concept of the ‘two-state solution‘ and maps the effects of local and global political changes on both Palestinian people and politics. The authors discuss the changing face of Fateh, Israeli perceptions of Palestine, and the influence of the Palestinian diaspora. The book also analyzes the environmental destruction of Gaza and the West bank, the economic viability of a Palestinian state and the impact of US foreign policy in the region. This authoritative and up-to-date guide to the impasse facing the region is required reading for anyone wishing to understand a conflict entrenched at the heart of global politics.

Commendations

'Thoroughly researched and thoroughly informative on a burning issue of our time.' - Ghada Karmi

'Whatever position one holds on the question of a two-state solution or of a bi-national state for Palestine/Israel, it is important to understand the arguments put forward. This collection of essays engages the reader directly and honestly, bringing many new and important angles to the debate over bi-nationalism. The arguments and facts presented here succeed in bringing the bi-nationalist position from the margins of the debate to a more central position.' - Mick Dumper, Reader in Middle East Politics and author of The Politics of Sacred Space: The Old City of Jerusalem in the Middle East Conflict (2004) and Editor, Palestinian Refugees: Global Perspectives (2006)

'A significant development in the debate over the possibility of a "one state" solution to the "Palestinian problem'...It is an important resource for all those struggling for genuine liberation for the Palestinians.' - International Socialism

'Thoroughly researched and informative… authoritative and up-to-date… required reading' - The Muslim World Book Review

'A welcome start that might spur others to take on a pressing question.' - Journal of Palestine Studies

Read a review of this book in the London Review of Books here

Read a review of this book on the Electronic Intifada website here

Contents

List of Tables and Figures
Introduction - Palestine: The Last Colonial Issue - Jamil Hilal
1. Zionism and the Two-State Solution - Ilan Pappe
2. Israel and the ‘danger of demography‘ - As‘ad Ghanem
3. The paradox of Palestinian self-determination - Nils Butenschon
4. The Bush administration and the two-state solution - Husam A. Mohamad
5. The Economics of an Independent Palestine - Sufiyan Alissa
6. The Transformation of the Palestinian Environment - Jad Isaac and Owen Powell
7. Hamas: From Opposition to Rule - Ziad Abu-Amr
8. Hamas and Palestinian Statehood - Are Knudsen and Basem Ezbidi
9. Searching for a Solution - Sharif S. Elmusa
10. Justice as the Way Forward - Karma Nabulsi
Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Jamil Hilal is an independent sociologist affliliated to Birzeit University and is an associate researcher at Muwatin, the Palestinian Institute for the Study of Democracy.

Ziad Abu-Amr, author of Chapter 7 Hamas: From Opposition to Rule is Foreign Minister in the new Palestinian Government formed on 8 February 2007

Academic Adoption Information

This book is used for teaching at the following institutions:

University of Amsterdam