The Settlers and the Struggle over the Meaning of Zionism

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The controversy over settlements in the occupied territories is a far more intractable problem for Israel than is widely perceived, Gadi Taub observes in this illuminating book. The clash over settlement is no mere policy disagreement, he maintains, but rather a struggle over the very meaning of Zionism. The book presents an absorbing study of religious settlers' ideology and how it has evolved in response to Israel's history of wars, peace efforts, assassination, the pull-out from Gaza, and other tumultuous events. Taub tracks the efforts of religious settlers to reconcile with mainstream Zionism but concludes that the project cannot succeed. A new Zionist consensus recognizes that Israel must pull out of the occupied territories or face an unacceptable alternative: the dissolution of Israel into a binational state with a Jewish minority.

Gadi Taub, is an Israeli historian and author. He holds a Ph.D. in American history from Rutgers University, and is a frequent contributor on politics and culture to the Israeli and international press (The New York Times, The New Republic, The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and others). He writes about Israeli culture, Zionism, and politics. His best-selling novel Allenby Street (recently adapted to a major network TV drama in Israel) deals with the underbelly of Tel Aviv nightlife and the fringes of Israeli society. He teaches at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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