This book critically assesses a series of complex and topical debates, helping readers make sense of some of the most foundational and contemporary ideas around the politics of 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 communal narratives, assessing the concept of self-determination for Jewish Israelis and Palestinians, addressing the debate over settler-colonialism as an appropriate framework for interpreting the history of Israel/Palestine, an analysis of international law and related issues, questions surrounding Palestinian and Jewish refugees and the impact of displacement, the debate over the apartheid label, the phenomenon of intersectionality, including the dynamics of allies and alliances, and a close look at BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) as a set of tactics. Through these foundational and contemporary topics, readers will be challenged to examine critically 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--towards justice for all.

Part I. Foundational Debates.Narratives -- Competing Narratives and Social Justice / Alan Dowty -- Six Useful Pasts / George E. Bisharat -- Beyond Two Sides / Samia Shoman -- Self-determination -- Identity-Based States and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict / Brent E. Sasley -- The Right to National Self-determination and Israel/Palestine / Ran Greenstein -- Considering Rights and Self-determination in Light of Injustice and Unequal Power / Thea Renda Abu El-Haj -- Settler-Colonialism -- Interrogating the Limits of the Settler-Colonialist Paradigm / Sam Fleischacker -- Israel in One Century--From a Colonial Project to a Complex Reality / As'ad Ghanem and Tariq Khateeb -- International Law -- International Law and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Closer to Power than Justice / Michael Lynk -- International Law and Fifty Years of Occupation / Lisa Hajjar -- Israel's Compliance with the Rule of Law: Settlements, Security, Defense Operations, and Religious Freedom / Miriam F. Elman -- Part II. Contemporary Debates. Refugees and Displacement -- Navigating the Palestinian Refugee Issue: An Insider's Guide / Roula El-Rifai -- Are Jews Displaced from Arab Countries 'Refugees' ? / Shayna Zamkanei -- The Bedouin Struggle over Land in Palestine/Israel: Males of the Nakba Generation Narrate Their Attachment to Land / Safa Aburabia -- Apartheid -- Does Israel Function as an Apartheid State? Critically Engaging the Complexities of the Apartheid Debate in Palestine/Israel / Oren Kroll-Zeldin -- Israel and Palestine: Occupation Not Apartheid / Zeina M. Barakat and Mohammed S. Dajani Daoudi -- Intersectional Alliances -- Black-Palestinian Solidarity: Towards an Intersectionality of Struggles / Joey Ayoub -- Cultural Commonalities, Colonial Divisions: On Sources of Solidarity between Palestinians and Jews from the Middle East / Aziza Khazzoom -- Alternate Bipolarity: How Israel Found Itself on the Wrong Side of the Global Divide / Yousef Munayyer -- BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) -- BDS: A Diverse Movement in Support of Human Rights / Tom Pessah -- BDS: Binaries, Divisions, and Silencing / Rachel Fish -- The Right to Boycott Is Non-negotiable / Amjad Iraqi.