One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse

By Ali Abunimah

Book Overview

A "visionary"* approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict--one state for two peoples--that is more urgent than ever

It is by now a commonplace that the only way to end the Israeli-Palestinian violence is to divide the territory in two. All efforts at resolving the conflict have come down to haggling over who gets what: Will Israel hand over 90 percent of the West Bank or only 60 percent? Will a Palestinian state include any part of Jerusalem?

Clear-eyed, sharply reasoned, and compassionate, One Country proposes a radical alternative: to revive the neglected idea of one state shared by two peoples. Ali Abunimah shows how the two are by now so intertwined--geographically and economically--that separation cannot lead to the security Israelis need or the rights Palestinians must have. Taking on the objections and taboos that stand in the way of a binational solution, he demonstrates that sharing the territory will bring benefits for all.

The absence of other workable options has only led to ever- greater extremism. It is time, Abunimah argues, for Palestinians and Israelis to imagine a different future and a different relationship.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805086668
• ISBN13: 9780805086669
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Picador USA
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.0" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

He Changed My Mind

I came into the book committed to a two-country solution; I came out of it convinced that Abunimah is right and we need one fully democratic country in Israel of Palestine. Ali is passionate, honest about the difficulties, and filled with persuasive arguments. He writes openly and intimately, going into detail on how difficult the situation is for all sides, and proposing some very reasonable solutions. I appreciated most his use of the example of apartheid in South Africa. Others have spoken recently of the similarities between Israel and South Africa, but Abunimah goes further, speaking of how the Palestinians themselves now refer to their ghettos as bantustans. Then Abunimah uses this very example to show how we can have real hope for change, even in this most intractable of dilemmas. South Africa now becomes not the pariah state, but the hope for real change in an intractable situation, and real lasting peace. Thank you, Laila el-Haddad, for your groundbreaking blog from Gaza, to let me know of this book. Thank you Ali Abunimah for being courageous enough to speak that which dare not be named, to suggest that the original ideas had some merit, and to go beyond the rhetoric to bring us hope.

The best book on the unitary state - insightful, practical, and a joy to read

This is a fabulous book, the best book yet on the unitary state which is probably the only solution that could deliver peace to the Israelis and Palestinians. It is beautifully and elegantly written. Ali Abunimah can write like the best. It surprised me that a man who must feel deeply about this conflict was able to write such an truthful and almost blame-free book. Nothing too nasty - this is a classy guy and his restraint is admirable, making this a potent book. Arabs usually indulge in hyperbole which is a big turn-off to Western audiences, but not this author... if anything, the book is understated. But style is the least of it - what he says is worth saying. What's different about this book is that he starts down the road of implementation. He actually considers what it would take to achieve a unitary state. He made two excellent suggestions for laying the groundwork for peace that immediately come to mind. He says that the Palestinians need to articulate a vision that the Jews can accept, along the lines that Mandela used in his struggle - that they see historic Palestine as belonging to everyone who lives there, Jews and Arabs. Sharing! Forget the nonsense about pushing Israel into the sea. And he says that Israel must not be rewarded for its illegal and aggressive behavior but rather, punished. Right on... it's the only way... make the status quo painful, and offer a more attractive and peaceful alternative. Any person who is thinking about how to achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians must read this book. It's the best.

In-depth analysis

This is an excellent in depth and critical analysis of the palestine-israel conflict. Abunimah presented historical and practical facts that supports his logical conclusion for a long term solution of one state with one man one vote.

"One Country" Could Save the World

I plead with anyone who has been concerned with the struggle in Palestine-Israel to read this amazing book. In a very low-key way, Abunimah points out that the two populations are inextricably intertwined, both by geography and the cultural similarities that living together naturally engenders and the injustices that continue to flow from the current dominance of the Israeli state over the area. Oppressed and oppressor is a social relationship, if a very unhealthy one. It is a small book with a big idea: allow yourself to think beyond the artificial borders now imposed. Two historically rich cultures are being killed by the attempt to separate them when a blending to the extent possible would save them and might even create opportunities to make them greater. Abunimah points to South Africa's Freedom Charter that ensured justice for both whites and blacks in a new South Africa as a model that could save this important area of the world from the violent downward spiral it is in right now. The basic injustice involved is stubbornly not acknowledged by world leaders and has become a source of conflict beyond Israel-Palestine. Abunimah has an unvarnished view of this injustice and the way to acknowledge it but at the same time build a path forward for the two peoples, together. He acknowledges the difficulties, both in a South Africa that has not gained full equality yet but is hopeful of doing so, and in starting the process in Israel-Palestine which requires some of the same seemingly drastic changes in thinking. However, there are both Israelis and Palestinians who have come to the same conclusion and see the only hope in this concept. Let's hope that this book will encourage others to think outside the artificially imposed boxes we have placed ourselves in. Linda

Intelligent writing and vision make this a must-read

Rather than rehashing the same dead arguments on Palestine/Israel or relying on 'blame game' rhetoric, this book offers a refreshing vision of the future: one democratic state for Palestinians and Israeli Jews, living side by side with equal rights. Certainly not a new vision, as the author duly notes, but rarely argued so cogently and with such sound vision for the future. Abunimah draws on successful examples of multi-ethnic states (Belgium, Ireland, South Africa) to shape his argument for a multi-ethnic Palestine-Israel, and to envision how two peoples locked into conflict by decades of oppression might come together.