A State Beyond the Pale: Europe's Problem With Israel

The Jewish state of Israel has now acquired the status of a pariah across much of the West and especially in Europe. For many, it has become the contemporary equivalent of apartheid South Africa - a system and a state with no legitimate place in the modern world. Israel's conflict with the Palestinians and the wider Muslim world also takes place across one of the great fault lines in global politics. No-one with a serious interest in international affairs can ignore it. But why have so many people and institutions of influence in Europe chosen to place themselves on the side of that fault line which opposes Israel? Where exactly does all this hostility come from? Can this really be put down to a revival of anti-Semitism on a continent which gave the world the Holocaust? 'A State Beyond the Pale: Europe's Problem with Israel' looks at the roots of anti-Israeli sentiment in Europe and shows why there is now a risk that it may even spread to the United States. In the author's view, the Israel-Palestine conflict can be seen as a test case for the West's ability to stand up for the values it claims as its own. In Europe, important institutions and individuals are now failing that test. This book explains why.

About the Author :
Robin Shepherd heads up the Europe programme at The Royal Institute of International Affairs in London. He is regularly quoted in newspapers around the world and has appeared frequently on the BBC, CNN and other broadcast outlets. He studied Russian at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London. He took his masters in political theory at the London School of Economics. He speaks Russian, French, Slovak and Czech.

Review :
"Robin Shepherd...explains that Europe's pacifism is not, despite what it likes to believe, a symptom of maturity, but of tiredness, nihilism and suicide. Europeans no longer believe in Europe, they are not prepared to fight for it, and they are unwilling to believe that its enemies are willing to destroy it. So had the Nazis not faced the golden generation but instead the bed-wetter generation, how would history have spanned out?" TELEGRAPH.CO.UK - 7.09.09 "Shepherd's well-documented, elegantly written and powerfully argued book is a must-read for anyone interested in this subject" STANDPOINT - 1.10.09 "very readable, uncompromising and heartfelt book...he should be praised for going against the grain of elite opinion in providing a small antidote to the arsenic that all too often passes for legitimate debate on Israel in today's Europe." -- Rory Miller is Professor at King's College, London SUNDAY BUSINESS POST 27.09.09 "meticulously documented, cogently argued, and brilliantly illuminated book... This is the best book on the Middle East conflict to appear in years, albeit one deeply disquieting for friends of Israel. It should be compulsory reading for all professing interest or expertise on the subject." -- David Conway, senior research fellow at Civitas THE JEWISH CHRONICLE 06.09.09 "a chilling but outstanding analysis of why Europe has turned against Israel, which I commend as essential reading for anyone engaged in Jewish advocacy" JERUSALEM POST "The aim of this book is to trace the roots of the rising hostility to Israel within Europe... The book's central questions are where does all this anti-Israel bias stem from and is it really justified?" GOOD BOOK GUIDE 01.10.09