Customer Reviews

Failing Peace: Gaza and athe Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

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Sara Roy provides an irrefutable dissection of why the Oslo "peace" process failed and actually made things worse not only in Gaza where she has special expertise, but in the 1967 Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories in general. What is particularly important about Roy's book is the fact that she reminds the reader of what the role of the intellectual is and must be - i.e., rooted in critical thought and humanism - the historical quest of moral philosophy. That is her personal context. She also insists on historical factual context for her analysis. Decrying those who describe Oslo's failure ahistorically as though there were no pre-conditons or issues and no facts on the ground which the terms of Oslo could employ to worsen conditions, Roy's work puts in stark relief the sham that was Oslo. Her conclusions stem from her meticulous research, not from any ideological paradigm.

This book is not only important for scholars of the Israel/Palestine conflict, but it is also the best book for university courses on the conflict. Students will gain a clear understanding of the issues involved in the conflict and why the structure and terms of Oslo were doomed to failure. They will also gain the dual context she presents for dissecting the present situation and "peace" efforts, valuable in and of itself.

This collection of Roy's essays chronicling the period from the 1967 Israeli occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem has stood the test of time. She offers the readers a unique chronicle of the human, social and political economy results from the terms of Oslo. This should be on anyone's reading list who is concerned about the tragedy of the Israel/Palestine conflict for both Israeli Jews and Palestinians.
Dr. Elaine C. Hagopian, Professor Emerita of Sociology, Simmons College, Boston.

This is one of the best books available on the nature of the Isael/Palestine conflict. Her analysis of the "peace process" as a (largely successful, for now) attempt to move analysis out of the framework of international law and into the frame of pure power relations is essential. The writing is characterized throughout by a convincing mixture of personal and moral reflection with hard empirical analysis. Professor Roy writes with rare moral and intellectual authority, and it's a pity that books like this remain unread by those responsible for making policy.