A State Beyond the Pale

The Jewish state of Israel has now acquired the status of a pariah acrossmuch of the West and especially in Europe. For many, it has become thecontemporary equivalent of apartheid South Africa - a system and a statewith no legitimate place in the modern world. Israel's conflict with thePalestinians and the wider Muslim world also takes place across one of thegreat fault lines in global politics. No-one with a serious interest ininternational affairs can ignore it. But why have so many people andinstitutions of influence in Europe chosen to place themselves on the sideof that fault line which opposes Israel? Where exactly does all thishostility come from? Can this really be put down to a revival ofanti-Semitism on a continent which gave the world the Holocaust? 'A StateBeyond the Pale: Europe's Problem with Israel' looks at the roots ofanti-Israeli sentiment in Europe and shows why there is now a risk that itmay even spread to the United States. In the author's view, theIsrael-Palestine conflict can be seen as a test case for the West's abilityto stand up for the values it claims as its own. In Europe, importantinstitutions and individuals are now failing that test. This book explainswhy.