Debating Palestine and Israel

While the Jews strove for statehood and national identity as a result of their claim to their ancient homeland, the Palestinians were denied both, leading to their marginalisation and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. This book seeks to uncover and explore the central issues of this crisis through the dialogue and debate of a pro-Palestinian Christian and a pro-Zionist Jew. Clashing viewpoints are expressed as the authors trace the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from the end of the nineteenth century until the present. By outlining past and present events in an accessible manner, the difficulties, rationales and emotions encountered in the creation of the Jewish state are confronted, with the hope that a greater understanding and sympathy between Jews, Christians and Muslims is engendered as well as making a contribution to a peaceful solution to what appears to be an intractable conflict. This concise history appeals to students of the conflict wishing to engage with the material in a creative way, presenting the cases of opposing positions side by side.