In this book, Omer Bartov outlines the transformation of Zionism, a movement that sought to liberate European Jewry from oppression, into a state ideology of ethno-nationalism.

How is it possible, he asks, that a state founded immediately after the Holocaust and which legitimized the idea of a national homeland for the Jews is now accused of committing large-scale war crimes?
How can we reconcile the fact that the destructive war waged by Israel is supported, with varying degrees of denial and indifference, by so many of its Jewish citizens?

Tracing the roots of the violent events unfolding today in Israel and the occupied territories, Bartov examines the origins of Zionism, the connection between Israeli independence and Palestinian displacement, the political use of the Holocaust, the controversies surrounding the term "genocide," and the uncertain future.

A sharp and profound critique that intervenes in contemporary debates about Zionism and the future of Israel.

Things today are worse than at any other time in the history of Israel as an independent state […]. In this bleak situation, Bartov does not give up on the discussion about what the solution to the drama might be. He now considers the proposals for either two states or a binational state to be unworkable, and adopts Dalia Scheindlin's proposal for a confederation of two sovereign nations and distinct states, each with its own government, institutions, and borders, freedom of movement, and above all, inclusive citizenship […]. The capital of both states would be Jerusalem, which would remain an open city for all religious and national communities. Even though today's reality makes such a discussion seem ridiculous in the eyes of realists, I believe it must be kept alive, so that hope can also remain alive.

A work of sober and relentless moral assessment. Publishers Weekly