A renowned Israeli-British historian argues Israel is fracturing, and considers the issues that must be centered for a peaceful future for Palestinians and Jews alike
In this timely book, historian Ilan Pappé argues that with the 2022 election of the most right-wing government in Israel’s history, the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and the subsequent Israeli war on Gaza, political fractures inherent in the Jewish state have expanded dangerously—and will potentially lead to Israel’s collapse. With the goal of working towards a transition that is as peaceful as possible, Pappé sets out his thoughts about the risks and opportunities emerging from this historical moment.
8 “mini-revolutions,” he argues, will be necessary for this more hopeful future to emerge, including:
- Relocating the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees to the center of the future vision;
- Establishing a new definition for the Jewish collective in historical Palestine;
- Finalizing a plan for the future of the Jewish settlements built in the West Bank since 1967; and
- Creating a new strategy for a united Palestinian national movement.
Pappé concretely envisions a more just future—a democratic decolonized state for both Palestinians and Israelis—and how we might get there.
“A bracingly principled and hopeful blueprint for the future.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“Ilan Pappé supplants slogans for a single democratic state with a detailed program comprising eight mini-revolutions. This is a bold undertaking and offers abundant ground upon which to debate a vision and transform it into a program. Even, and especially, for those in disagreement, Israel on the Brink offers a point of departure to take seriously the work of decolonization.”
—Noura Erakat, author of Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine
“Ilan Pappé’s Israel on the Brink is a tour de force, essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand the disintegration of the Zionist project and its consequences. Pappé, one of the foremost scholars on the Israel-Palestine conflict, has authored a series of groundbreaking and important books. This one is no exception.”
—Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize–winning former Middle East bureau chief for the New York Times
“When you think that everything that could be said has been, Ilan Pappé provides this eye-opening, original, and, most importantly, hopeful book.”
—Eyal Weizman, author of Hollow Land: Israel’s Architecture of Occupation
PREFACE
Should We Talk About the End of Israel?
PART ONE: THE COLLAPSE
CHAPTER ONE
The Demise of the Peace Industry
CHAPTER TWO
Fatal Cracks and the Collapse of Zionism
PART TWO: THE WAY FORWARD
CHAPTER THREE
How to Build a New Strategy for the Palestinian National Movement?
CHAPTER FOUR
How to Implement Transitional and Restorative Justice?
CHAPTER FIVE
How to Implement the Right of Return?
CHAPTER SIX
What Should Be the Future of the Jewish Settlements in the West Bank?
CHAPTER SEVEN
How to Reconnect Palestine to the Mashreq?
CHAPTER EIGHT
How to Redefine the Jewish Collective in the New State?
CHAPTER NINE
Can We Redefine Politics?
PART THREE: POST-ISRAEL PALESTINE 2048
A Post-Israel Palestine Diary
Acknowledgments
Further Reading
Notes