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The Case Against Israel
Neumann, Michael
Publisher: CounterPunchYear Published: 2005 Pages: 220pp ISBN: 1-904859-46-1 Resource Type: Book Cx Number: CX8237 Neumann argues that Israel's policies are the cause of the conflict, and that the conflict can be ended by Israel changing its behaviour. Abstract: Michael Neumann's book, The Case Against Israel, argues that Zionism was responsible for the Zionist-Palestinian conflict and that Israel is responsible for perpetuating it. The author comes from a family of German Jews who "suffered greatly under the Nazis" and is a professor of philosophy at Trent University in Ontario, Canada. His main argument is that, though there are many grey areas in this conflict and no one side is completely innocent of wrong, at the end of the day it the Palestinians and not Israel who deserve the world's support. Neumann's argument is against Israel, not Israelis, and he is firm in his belief that the Israel/Palestine conflict is not as complex as it has been made out to be. The book is divided into two parts: "Zionism and the Birth of Israel" and "The Current Situation." As the titles suggest, the first part deals with the Zionist project and its consequences while the second part discusses the current situation in the region. The text argues that firstly, the Zionist project conceived and executed in the 19th and 20th centuries was completely unjustified and that secondly, Israel's settlement policy is not defensive but a form of ethnic warfare. There is an emphasis laid on the irrelevancy of many of the major arguments given in support of Israel's actions, including the charge that opposition to Israel is anti-Semitic. The book also contains a chapter that discusses alternatives available to Israel and the Palestinians after 1948. [Abstract by Nabeeha Chaudhary] Table of Contents: Preface Introduction Part I: Zionism and the Birth of Israel The Zionist Project Consequences of Zionism A Verdict on Zionism Part II: The Current Situation The Occupation The Settlements Palestinian and Israeli Alternatives Palestinian Attitudes and Strategies Terror Other Reasons for Supporting Israel? Afterword Sources Endnotes Index Subject Headings
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