Hilliard, Constance. Does Israel have a future?: the case for a post-Zionist state. Potomac Books, 2009. 183p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781597972345, $24.50. Reviewed in 2010may CHOICE.
Underlying her provocative title is Hilliard's deep concern for the victims of Western anti-Semitism "trapped" in Israel, a country promoted by the US and its allies because they were unwilling to admit adequate numbers of Jewish refugees into their respective countries before, during, or after the Holocaust. As hopes fade for a just peace between an Israeli and a Palestinian state, Hilliard urges the creation of a post-Zionist state along lines once advocated by Albert Einstein, Martin Buber, Hannah Arendt, and many other liberal Jewish intellectuals. Based largely on Israeli and other Jewish sources, Hilliard (Univ. of North Texas) portrays Israel as an economically viable society on the verge of emotional collapse, suffering post-traumatic stress disorder caused by Palestinian suicide bombings and other Arab attacks brought on by its aggressive expansion and colonization policies. Much of its educated elite are leaving the country, and Palestinians will soon outnumber Jews in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. This book is rich, timely, and disturbing reading, presenting information about "apocalypse fever" and "magical thinking" in Israel that deserves greater publicity in the US. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. -- C. M. Henry, University of Texas at Austin
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