The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the longest, ongoing hot-and-cold war of the 20th and 21st centuries. It has produced more refugees than any current conflict, generating fully one quarter of all refugees worldwide. Everyone knows that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is important itself, and is also fueling tensions throughout the Middle East. Yet most people shy away from this conflict, claiming it is "just too complicated" to understand.
Understanding Israel/Palestine: Race, Nation, and Human Rights in the Conflict is written for people who want a point of entry into the conversation. Eve Spangler is a sociologist at Boston College.