Routledge Handbook on the Israeli-Palestinian

The book under review is a collection of thirty scholarly essays written by leading authorities in their respective fields on one of the most contentious issues of modern times. It is divided into six parts arranged under six broad themes “that provide a comprehensive overview of the issues, the motivations of the various actors, and the dynamics underlying the conflict”. (p. 6) An Introduction by Joel Peters draws in a lucid way a brief history of the conflict which equips the readers with a sharp theoretical background. Part I, ‘Competing nationalism’, comprises two essays by Colin Schindler and Ahmad Khalidi respectively which deal with the aims and origins of the Zionist and Palestinian national movements. Zionism does not end with the establishment of the Israeli state, argues Schindler, it is rather a multifaceted movement with different aims and objectives. (pp. 12-18) Similarly, for the aims of the Palestinian national movement, which emerged in the first half of the twentieth century, often oscillated from self-rule to national government, from complete independence to entity building, from liberation to the twostate proposal. However, as Khalidi writes, Palestinian aspiration for freedom overrides other aspirations and is unlikely to be relinquished in the future.