Pluto Press is tonight (21 March 2014) launching a new edition of Ben White’s sharp and demanding analysis of Israeli-Palestinian politics, Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner’s Guide.
Pluto Press is tonight (21 March 2014) launching a new edition of Ben White’s sharp and demanding analysis of Israeli-Palestinian politics, Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner’s Guide.
Chaired by David Hearst, former chief foreign leader writer of The Guardian, the event will throw a spotlight on what some believe to be racist and discriminatory policies and actions by the Israeli authorities.
Ben White’s work has been praised by Desmond Tutu, John Pilger, Ahdaf Soueif and others. Among those providing written commendations for detailed attention to the first edition was Ekklesia co-director Simon Barrow.
With the two-state solution in crisis and the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign growing, where next for the politics of peace with justice in Israel and Palestine?
The sold-out event in London is hosted by Amnesty International UK. Their Crisis Response Campaign Manager, Kristyan Benedict (http://www.kristyanbenedict.com) is live streaming the event from 7pm, and a videocast will be valuable afterwards.
Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner’s Guide distills the work of academics and experts into a highly readable introduction. This is the book to read if you want to understand the root of the conflict and how apartheid applies to the situation in Palestine.
Ben White begins by succinctly explaining the origins of Zionist theory and colonisation and details what happened in 1948 during the creation of Israel, as Palestinians were killed, driven from their homes and deprived of their land and livelihoods.
White goes on to examine current examples of Israeli apartheid. Packed with information, quotations and resources, the book is rooted in the author’s extensive on-the-ground experience in the region. It also includes short testimonies by Palestinians who describe how Israeli apartheid affects their daily lives.
Indispensable for the Palestinian solidarity movement, Israeli Apartheid aims to inform and mobilise, and is a vital resource for anyone who wants to help work towards peace.
Ben White is a freelance journalist, writer and activist, specialising in Palestine/Israel. He has been visiting the region since 2003 and his articles have been widely published in the likes of The Guardian’s Comment is free, Al Jazeera, Electronic Intifada, New Statesman, Salon, Christian Science Monitor, Middle East International, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Ekklesia, and others.
His other recent book, Palestinians in Israel: Segregation, Discrimination and Democracy, was published by Pluto Press in January 2012, with a foreword by Member of Knesset Haneen Zoabi. It received endorsements from Booker Prize-shortlisted author Ahdaf Soueif, Prof Ilan Pappe, Ali Abunimah, and others.
* Ben White (@benabyad): http://benwhite.org.uk
* Website for the book: http://israeliapartheidguide.com