This rich and insightful book combines a historical-political analysis of the Partition Resolution and of its ensuing consequences with an evaluation of its enduring relevance. The book offers illuminating insights by Jewish and Palestinian scholars who virtually bring to life the intense debates within both communities about the idea of partitioning Palestine/Eretz Yisrael and specifically the Partition Plan. The contributions are complemented by an extraordinary rich collection of sources that shed comprehensive light on the discussions that led to the decisions that shaped the evolution of the struggle for statehood in Palestine/Eretz Yisrael. Despite the very many years that elapsed since, these debates and decisions, and their consequences, still resonate. They are still pertinent to understanding the conflict and the possibilities for its resolution. This book provides an invaluable and indispensable key to the understanding of the history of Zionism, the struggle in Palestine/Eretz Yisrael and its ultimate resolution.

Eyal Benvenisti, Anny and Paul Yanowicz Professor of Human Rights, Tel Aviv University Faculty of Law, Israel, Endorsement

Ruth Gavison and her colleagues have directed attention to the historical, political and fundamental moral issues of the origins of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 of 29 November 1947, generally referred to as the UN Partition Resolution. Whether or not there is in fact a decline in the level of Israeli (and Palestinian) intellectual and moral acuity in addressing such existential concerns as were faced in the lead-up to1947, the overall result achieved in this instance is an eminently readable volume which is as stimulating, perplexing and challenging for an open-minded reader as the conflict itself.

Robert Bowker, Australian Journal of Politics and History