Haifa Republic: A Democratic Future for Israel

A provocative argument for a new way of seeing Israel, Zionism, and the two-state solution. A Future for Israel is a wakeup call to liberal Zionists. In the last two decades, Israeli politics has been changing rapidly, but Zionist thinking on the left is lagging dangerously behind. Given the demise of a viable two-state solution, the struggle for a worthwhile political future in Israel depends not on establishing borders, but on securing human and citizen rights. Denying this is by now akin to denying global warming, and will lead to a catastrophe. 70 years after Israel's establishment, Palestinians are again verging on becoming the majority within Israel's borders and Israeli leaders across the political spectrum can be heard speaking of ethnic cleansing. Ignoring reality will invite scenarios worse than apartheid. A Future for Israel will reclaim the vital center from Zionist chauvinism on the right and anti-Zionism on the left, by articulating an alternative to two-state politics from within a liberal Zionist perspective. Omri Boehm argues Israeli patriots must now challenge Zionist taboos as we have come to know them and dare to imagine the country's transformation, from a Jewish state into a federal, bi-national republic.

“Omri Boehm attempts to reconcile Israel’s history with the demands of justice. His ideas are radical just as much as they are hopeful. Boehm is one of the most important philosophers of his generation.” —Susan Neiman
 
“[The] most important book on the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict . . . that has appeared in recent years.” —Micha Brumlik, *Die Zeit

*“Boehm elegantly synthesizes a tortuous history and offers an imaginative model for Israel’s political future” —*Kirkus Reviews

“Expansive. . . [*Haifa Republic is] a life-raft for the followers of a liberal Zionism now floating aimlessly off the coastal city.” —Shaul Magid, *+972 Magazine

“[*Haifa Republic is a] brave and sleek polemic. . . Boehm makes a stimulating case for the fact that Zionism’s fathers (including Menachem Begin!) would have agreed with Israel being ‘a joint, sovereign state.’ . . . Boehm’s agile blade, swung in the cause of recognizing reality, cuts both ways, and that lends his book its persuasiveness.” —Bill Marx, The Arts Fuse

Auteur

Omri Boehm is a professor of philosophy at the New School for Social Research. He is the author of The Binding of Isaac: A Religious Model of Disobedience and Kant’s Critique of Spinoza. His writings on Israeli politics and culture have appeared in Haaretz, Die Zeit, The New York Times, and elsewhere.