The myths-and reality-behind the state of Israel In this groundbreaking book published on the
fiftieth anniversary of the Occupation the outspoken and radical Israeli historian Ilan Pappe
examines the most contested ideas concerning the origins and identity of the contemporary state
of Israel. The ten myths that Pappe explores-repeated endlessly in the media enforced by the
military accepted without question by the world's governments-reinforce the regional status
quo. He explores the claim that Palestine was an empty land at the time of the Balfour
Declaration as well as the formation of Zionism and its role in the early decades of nation
building. He asks whether the Palestinians voluntarily left their homeland in 1948 and whether
June 1967 was a war of no choice. Turning to the myths surrounding the failures of the Camp
David Accords and the official reasons for the attacks on Gaza Pappe explains why the
two-state solution is no longer viable.
