I’ve got a review of Benny Morris’ new book, “One State, Two States: Resolving the Israel/Palestine Conflict,” up now at History News Network, George Mason University’s online magazine. An excerpt:
After a disheartening few months, prospects for peace in Israel/Palestine seem brighter than they have in years. In Washington, the Obama administration is putting heavy pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to embrace a two-state solution, while in Damascus the exiled leader of Hamas is making statements in support of partition along pre-1967 borders. It’s not a rosy picture, but it could be worse. Don’t get your hopes up, says Benny Morris, in his new book, “One State, Two States: Resolving the Israel/Palestine Conflict.” Morris, the Israeli historian whose work on the displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 War of Independence exploded the myth that the refugees left on their own terms, has written a deeply pessimistic but thoroughly convincing work arguing that none of the current endgames are viable.
“One State, Two States” positions itself as a response to recent support for a binational state from left-wing academics, most famously New York University professor Tony Judt. Rather than limiting his critique to Judt, however, Morris takes on Judt’s critics as well, arguing that the American-supported two-state solution is no more workable than binationalism.
Click here to read the rest.
