Palestine, a Jewish Question

This volume is more about Jewish people than it is about Palestine, and it is, in turn, more about Palestine than it is about Israel, the latter only being mentioned in a secondary way. As such, this book isn’t addressed exclusively to readers of a single religious or cultural community. It’s addressed first and foremost to those who want to know more about the reasons behind the Israel-Palestine conflict and how to solve it. Although the violence with which the word “Palestine” is often associated remains a mystery for many people, it can be rationally explained. The book’s introduction reserves a few surprises and its conclusion offers readers contemporary perspectives in light of historical experience.

This study starts out with a historical chronology of the Jewish-Arab conflict in Palestine, before examining political and ethical debates which accompanied the development of Palestinian nationalism and of Jewish nationalism (Zionism). These themes are taken up around specific centres of interest, without neglecting the portraits of certain key players in the Jewish community who have contributed to raising the debate on Palestine. The book doesn’t start nor end in the Middle East. It’s a world tour of Jewish communities and what they think of the Palestinian question, going back over a century and up to the present day.