A Palestinian State: The Implications for Israel

by Mark A. Heller

Book Overview

The future of the West Bank and Gaza remains the single most crucial issue in the search for peace in the Middle East. Examining the entire range of possible outcomes, Mark Heller of the Center for Strategic Studies, Tel-Aviv University, argues that an independent Palestinian state in those territories, even one dominated by the PLO, could, under certain stringent conditions, be the preferred option for Israel. In the first comprehensive treatment of the political, social, economic, and military factors bearing on the disposition of the West Bank and Gaza, Mark Heller sets forth the possible alternatives--annexation by Israel, perpetuation of the status quo, federal or communal arrangements, and territorial compromise within the framework of the Jordanian option--and evaluates their implications for Israeli security. Heller outlines the conditions under which he believes the establishment of a Palestinian state could be the optimal solution. He also discusses the economic prospects of a Palestinian state and the future of Jerusalem. His analysis is the boldest attempt yet to come to grips with the Palestinian question and the future of Israel. No one interested in the pursuit of a peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Arab conflict can afford to ignore this book.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 088730866X
• ISBN13: 9780674652217
• Release Date: March 1983
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A view of a history that wasn't

Mark Heller, a leading theoretician and analyst on the conflict in the Middle East wrote this work some 18 years ago. In many ways, it laid out the blue print for a two state solution and the advantages for both Israel and the Palestinians. His vision eventually for the most part became the course that Israel followed it its efforts to give the Palestinians a state, which the Palestinians in turn rejected at Camp David in 2000. While the current conflict may well render this work out of date, it still give an excellent view of what might have been and where Israel was willing to go. What was once cutting edge modeling, now makes excellent history.