Israel: State or Ghetto: A Chronology of Warnings 2001-2010

This book is a collection of essays written over a period of 10 years urging Israel to speed up the resolution of the conflict with the Arabs. The date noted at the top of each chapter is the actual date of writing; they have not been edited or altered since. Together they constitute a chronology of unheeded warnings. The author is a veteran of the wars of the 50's and 60's in Israel. He worked closely with some of its distinguished leaders such as the first two prime ministers of Israel: Ben Gurion and Sharett. He served in senior positions in the civil service, in the army and in the Histadruth. He is a fervent Zionist which is a direct result of his unhappy experience growing up in Iraq. However his wide knowledge of Arab and Islamic history and culture taught him to respect and understand Arab views on the conflict. His arguments are fair and not one-sided. The essays deal with the continuous neglect of three main and intertwined problems that feed on each other and paralyze the political machine in Israel causing it to postpone and neglect dealing with the fundamental challenges that face the country and prevent any settlement of its conflict with its neighbours. These problems are: the electoral system of pure PR which perpetuates the social division of the population, the absence of recognized borders which is at the core of the eruptions of violence that perpetuate instability and most importantly the lack of effective presentation of Israel as the last country of refuge for the Jews everywhere. Israel's image abroad is dire and misrepresented. The first chapter, written in 2001, is a summary of advice to Israel set out in 12-bullet points. In the subsequent chapters the author shows how these points have been overlooked and neglected to the heavy cost, in lives and resources, of both sides of the conflict. The last chapter shows a way for a hopeful solution.