University of Toronto Press Social Justice and Israel/Palestine: Foundational and Contemporary Debates

This book critically assesses a series of complex and topical debates helping readers to make sense of the politics surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian relationship. Each chapter considers one topic, represented by two or three essays offered in conversation with one another. Together, these essays advance different perspectives; in some cases they are complementary and in others they are oppositional. Topics include scholarly and activist interpretations of narratives in the context of Israel/Palestine; the concept of self-determination for Jewish Israelis and Palestinians; the debate over settler-colonialism as an appropriate framework for interpreting the history of Israel/Palestine; and questions surrounding Jewish and Palestinian refugees and the impact of displacement, among others. Through these foundational and contemporary topics, readers will be challenged to critically examine the strengths and weaknesses of each position in light of scholarly debates rooted in social justice and helped to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians in order to see a path forward toward justice for all. Review "Teaching on the subject of Israel and Palestine is often fraught with difficulty and is usually a failed attempt to portray "both sides" without addressing any of the critiques that may come to light. This compendium, however, is a useful tool in critically examining the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to the question of Palestine, and the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians through its conversational format. In so doing, readers will be challenged and perhaps surprised at the points of commonality and of difference." - Diana Buttu, Harvard University " Social Justice and Israel/Palestine is a provocative work that addresses the full scope of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Written by noteworthy scholars and activists from multiple disciplines, this collection of essays is comprised of diverse and often sharply conflicting viewpoints, helping the reader understand the angst surrounding the quest for justice in Israel/Palestine in its full existential reality." - David Ellenson, Brandeis University About the Author Aaron J. Hahn Tapper is the Mae and Benjamin Swig Professor of Jewish Studies, director of the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice, and professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Francisco. Mira Sucharov is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.