Manchester University Press Zionism in Arab Discourses

Zionism in Arab discourses introduces a groundbreaking thesis to the study of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Through analyses of hundreds of texts written by Arab Islamists and liberals from the late nineteenth century to the 'Arab Spring', the book demonstrates that the Zionist enterprise has played the dual function of an enemy and a mentor. Arab Islamists and liberals alike discovered respectively in Zionism and in Israeli society - or more precisely, in Zionism and Israeli society as constructed by them to fit their specific agendas - qualities they sought to implement in their societies, whose shortcomings were critically highlighted by interpretations of Zionist successes. Focusing on Palestinian, Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian political discourses, fascinating and unexpected Arab points of view on different aspects of Zionism are uncovered: from the first Zionist Congress to the First Lebanon War; from gardening in the early years of Tel Aviv to women's service in the IDF; from the role of religion in the creation of the state to the role of democracy in its preservation. The book is an indispensable, nuanced and informative source for the development of Arab Islamist and liberal views on Zionist aspirations, the creation of Israel and the policies of its governments. It presents the debates between and within contesting Arab ideological trends on a conflict that has shaped, and is certain to continue to shape, one of the most complicated regions in the world. Zionism in Arab discourses is essential reading for experts and students in the fields of Middle Eastern studies, Israel studies, International Relations, culture studies and democracy studies.