Blood and Religion

"Timely and important . . . by far the most penetrarting and comprehensive [book] on the subject to date. . . . This work should be required reading." --Nur Masalha, Director of Holy Land Studies, St. Mary's College, University of Surrey, and author ofThe Politics of Denial

"An original and powerful book." --Ilan Pappe, Senior Lecturer in Political Science, Haifa University, and author ofA Modern History of Palestine

"Very impressive. . . . Some of his findings will astound even the knowledgeable reader." --Salim Tamari, Director, Institute of Jerusalem Studies

What is Israel hoping to achieve with its recent withdrawal from Gaza and the buildiing of a 700 km wall? Journalist Jonathan Cook presents a lucid account of the motives. The heart of the issue, he argues, is demography. Israel fears the moment when the region's Palestinians--Israel's own Palestinian citizens and those in the Occupied Territories--become a majority. Inevitable omparisons with apartheid in South Africa will be drawn. The book charts Israel's increasingly desperate responses, including military repression of Palestinian dissent; a ban on marriages between Israel's Palestinian population and Palestinians living under occupation to prevent a right of return "through the back door;" and the redrawing of the Green Line to create an expanded state. Ultimately, the author concludes, these abuses will lead to a third, far deadlier intifada.

Jonathan Cook, a former staff journalist of theGuardiannewspaper, has written for theTimes,Le Monde diplomatique, theInternational Herald Tribune,al-Ahram Weekly, and Aljazeera.net. He is based in Nazareth.