BOOK: “Does Israel have a future? The case for a post-Zionist state”

Australians For Palestine

by Constance Hilliard 13Jan10

January 13, 2010 
Description:
The Jewish people are in greater danger than ever before. Given the debacle in Iraq, many Americans who had not taken a serious interest in the Middle East have begun asking themselves, What are we doing wrong? Why do we keep misreading the signals coming from that part of the world? More fundamentally, where will Israel be in two, five, ten years from now? Should Zionism be replaced by a post-Zionist state that welcomes all people, rather than one that privileges only the Jews? Will there even be a Jewish state? These are the questions Constance Hilliard addresses in Does Israel Have a Future?, forgoing polemics and wishful thinking for straight talk and painful truths.
In this thoroughly researched book, Hilliard presents an honest assessment of the Jewish state’s chances for survival given the forces ranged against it. The discussions about the future of the Jewish state analyzed in this book are some of the most significant to engage Israelis since 1948, dominating the airwaves, newspapers, and café conversations. Distilling these disparate views into a simple, straightforward exploration of one of the most explosive issues of our time—one into which few people outside Israel have delved as deeply as Hilliard has—the author presents a provocative argument that will appeal to scholars and students of international affairs, political science, and the Middle East, as well as general readers concerned about Israel’s future.
About the Author:
Constance Hilliard is a professor of Middle Eastern and African history at the University of North Texas, Denton. She holds a doctorate in Middle East and African history from Harvard University and is a former foreign policy adviser to the late Senator John Tower, who chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee. She lives in Hickory Creek, Texas.
Reviews/Endorsements:
“Constance Hilliard raises very critical issues, and whether one agrees with her conclusions or not, there is much to ponder in her analysis. Her leading theme seems to me very persuasive. For some years, Israel has chosen a course that is likely to lead to disaster, for itself and the region, not to speak of the Palestinians; and unless those who call themselves ‘supporters of Israel’ are willing to face these moral and geopolitical realities, they may in reality be supporters of Israel’s moral degeneration and ultimate destruction.”
– Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor & Professor of Linguistics (Emeritus), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“After more than sixty years of statehood, Israel grows more powerful yet less secure. The stronger it becomes in its ability to project force, the less legitimate it becomes in the eyes of the world, the more corrupt and nihilistic, and the more beset by fears of succumbing to the sheer demographic pressure of its Arab and Islamic adversaries. That a terrible reckoning is coming is heard even from leading Zionist quarters. Professor Constance Hilliard adds an expert and compassionate voice to the gathering chorus calling for a fundamental rethinking of the project of the Jewish State. This is an important contribution to one of the great debates of our time.”
– Joel Kovel, author of Overcoming Zionism: Creating a Single Democratic State in Israel/Palestine
“It is strange yet predictable that this moderate and judicious book that defers to conventional Jewish sensibilities will be denounced as anti-Semitic for daring to consider for all of historic Palestine what has long been commonplace in every modern country-not a ‘Jewish’ or an ‘Arab’ state, but a democratic state in which every person has one vote, all groups enjoy cultural freedom, and religion is a private matter.”
– Noel Ignatiev, author of How the Irish Became White
“Sometimes difficult ideological and political questions have to be confronted head on— away from mythologies, fabrications, manipulations and hidden agendas. This book is a brave and straightforward engagement with one of our times’ most pressing issue: the Palestine Question. It looks into the near future with open eyes and lays down what seems to be the only logical and moral way forward.”
– Ilan Pappe, author of A History of Modern Palestine: One Land, Two Peoples
“At a moment when the ‘two-state solution’ looks increasingly hollow, Constance Hilliard’s Does Israel Have a Future? is a timely and thoughtful intervention. It is perceptive about alarming extremist trends within Israeli society, searing in its critique of current political approaches, and skillful in drawing together the threads of the growing movement for a just one-state solution. It will be of great value both to scholars as well as those looking for a book to help them understand events in Palestine/Israel.”
– Ali Abunimah, author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse

River to Sea
 Uprooted Palestinian