Israelis and Palestinians: Why Do They Fight? Can They Stop?

Israelis and Palestinians offers a startlingly new interpretation of the historical and contemporary realities of the conflict in the Middle East. Bernard Wasserstein challenges the conventional view of the struggle as driven primarily by irrational ethnic and religious hatreds. Instead he focuses on largely neglected forcesand#151;including population, fertility rates, labor, and environmental pressuresand#151;that have shaped politics in the region over the last century, and which will inevitably determine its future.

Wasserstein argues that Israelis and Palestinians live today in and#147;Siamese twin societiesand#8221;; however much they may wish to, neither side can escape the impinging presence and influence of the other. Demographic, economic, and social imperatives are driving Israelis and Palestinians toward mutual accommodation. At a time of diplomatic impasse and escalating bloodshed, Wasserstein offers a realistic and persuasive basis for optimism.

A provocative and original examination of the conflict in the Middle East

Israelis and Palestinians offersa startlingly new interpretation of the historical and contemporary realities of the conflict in the Middle East. Bernard Wasserstein challenges the conventional view of the struggle as driven primarily by irrational ethnic and religious hatreds. Instead he focuses on largely neglected forces--including population, fertility rates, labor, and environmental pressures--that have shaped politics in the region over the last century, and which will inevitably determine its future.
Wasserstein argues that Israelis and Palestinians live today in "Siamese twin societies"; however much they may wish to, neither side can escape the impinging presence and influence of the other. Demographic, economic, and social imperatives are driving Israelis and Palestinians toward mutual accommodation. At a time of diplomatic impasse and escalating bloodshed, Wasserstein offers a realistic and persuasive basis for optimism.

BERNARD WASSERSTEIN is Harriet and Ulrich E. Meyer Professor of History at the University of Chicago. He is the author of many books, including The Secret Lives of Trebitsch Lincoln and Divided Jerusalem: The Struggle for the Holy City, both published by Yale University Press. His most recent book is Barbarism and Civilization: A History of Europe in Our Time.