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  • Published: 17 October 2016
  • ISBN: 9780143129172
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 512
  • RRP: $45.00

The Two-State Delusion

Israel and Palestine--A Tale of Two Narratives



Israel and Palestine have remained gridlocked for decades over final borders, Jerusalem, settlements and refugees. In order to break this stalemate, negotiators would need to overcome not just these practical issues, but the complex psychological factors that make it impossible for the two peoples to find common ground. These include irreconcilable national narratives, deadly complacency, and the corrosive mistrust developed over decades of failed negotiations--failures for which each side blames the other. These factors would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to overcome, O'Malley argues, especially as Hamas and even more extreme jihadist groups gain ground in Palestine and Jewish Israelis shift further to the right. Even if these psychological factors were overcome, the gridlock broken, and an agreement reached, a range of factors would preclude it from being implemented.
     In this urgent, revelatory, and unflinching book, O'Malley opens our minds to the vital truth that, in order to achieve a lasting peace, we must set aside our old beliefs about what the solution should be and seek out new frameworks for reconciliation.

Author Padraig O'Malley is the subject of the new acclaimed documentary The Peacemaker.

“Impressive . . . [O’Malley] has done a tremendous amount of research about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” —The New York Times Book Review
 
Disputes over settlements, the right of return, the rise of Hamas, recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, and other intractable issues have repeatedly derailed peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
 
Now, in a book that is sure to spark controversy, renowned peacemaker Padraig O’Malley argues that the moment for a two-state solution has passed. After examining each issue and speaking with Palestinians and Israelis as well as negotiators directly involved in past summits, O’Malley concludes that even if such an agreement could be reached, it would be nearly impossible to implement given a variety of obstacles including the staggering costs involved, Palestine’s political disunity and economic fragility, rapidly changing demographics in the region, Israel’s continuing political shift to the right, global warming’s effect on the water supply, and more.
 
In this revelatory, hard-hitting book, O’Malley approaches the key issues pragmatically, without ideological bias, to show that we must find new frameworks for reconciliation if there is to be lasting peace between Palestine and Israel.
 

  • Published: 17 October 2016
  • ISBN: 9780143129172
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 512
  • RRP: $45.00

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