Walled: Israeli Society at an Impasse

This book presents a deep and revealing study of the national mythologies of Israeli and Palestinian societies and the obstacles they pose to resolving the conflict in the region. The conflict in Israel has been blamed on everything from God to land. Even as the Israeli government constructs a symbolic fence along the West Bank, says noted journalist Sylvain Cypel, Israelis are walled not only by physical boundaries, but by an elaborate complex of myths and beliefs. Cypel draws on interviews, political speeches, and historical investigation into the cultural heritage of the region to explicate the ways that Israeli society represents its relations, past and present, with its Arab adversaries. It is these false historical narratives, he argues - on both sides of the wall - that are the primary obstacles to establishing an enduring peace.