Joel Kovel argues that the inner contradictions of Zionism have led Israel to a "state-sponsored racism" fully as incorrigible as that of apartheid South Africa and deserving of the same resolution. Only a path toward a single-state secular democracy can provide the justice essential to healing the wounds of the Middle East.
Kovel is well-known writer on the Middle East conflict. This book draws on his detailed knowledge to show that Zionism and democracy are essentially incompatible. Ultimately, Kovel argues, a two-state solution is hopeless as it concedes too much to the regressive forces of nationalism, wherein lie the roots of continued conflict.