Author(s): Raja Shehadeh

Politics

A poignant, incisive meditation on Israel's longstanding rejection of peace, and what the war on Gaza means for Zionism.

When apartheid in South Africa ended, dismantled by internal activism and global pressure, why did Israel continue to pursue its own apartheid policies against Palestinians? In keeping with a history of antagonism, the Jewish state established settlements in the Occupied Territories as extreme right-wing voices gained prominence in Israeli government, with comparatively little international backlash--in fact, these policies were boosted by the Oslo Accords.

Condensing this complex history into a lucid essay, Raja Shehadeh examines the many lost opportunities to promote a lasting peace and equality between Israelis and Palestinians. Since the creation of Israel in 1948, known to Palestinians as the Nakba, or catastrophe, each side's perception of events has strongly diverged. What can this discrepancy tell us about Israel's undermining of a two-state solution? And will the current genocide in Gaza finally mark a shift in the world's response? 

With graceful, haunting prose, Shehadeh offers insights into a defining conflict that could yet be ameliorated.