A groundbreaking collection of essays by celebrated international writers bears witness to the human cost of fifty years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. In Kingdom of Olives and Ash, Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, two of today's most renowned novelists and essayists, have teamed up with the Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence--an organization comprised of former Israeli soldiers who served in the occupied territories and saw firsthand the injustice there--and a host of illustrious writers to tell the stories of the people on the ground in the contested territories. Kingdom of Olives and Ash includes contributions from several of today's most esteemed storytellers including: Colum McCann, Jacqueline Woodson, Colm Toibin, Geraldine Brooks, Dave Eggers, Hari Kunzru, Raja Shehadeh, Mario Vargas Llosa and Assaf Gavron, as well as from editors Chabon and Waldman. Through these incisive, perceptive, and poignant essays, readers will gain unique insight into the narratives behind the litany of grim destruction broadcasted nightly on the news, as well as deeper understanding of the conflict as experienced by the people who live in the occupied territories. Together, these stories stand witness to the human cost of the occupation.

"In Goliath, New York Times bestselling author Max Blumenthal takes us on a journey through the badlands and high roads of Israel-Palestine, painting a startling portrait of Israeli society under the siege of increasingly authoritarian politics as the occupation of the Palestinians deepens. Beginning with the national elections carried out during Israel's war on Gaza in 2008-09, which brought into power the country's most right-wing government to date, Blumenthal tells the story of Israel in the wake of the collapse of the Oslo peace process. As Blumenthal reveals, Israel has become a country where right-wing leaders like Avigdor Lieberman and Bibi Netanyahu are sacrificing democracy on the altar of their power politics; where the loyal opposition largely and passively stands aside and watches the organized assault on civil liberties; where state-funded Orthodox rabbis publish books that provide instructions on how and when to kill Gentiles; where half of Jewish youth declare their refusal to sit in a classroom with an Arab; and where mob violence targets Palestinians and African asylum seekers scapegoated by leading government officials as "demographic threats." Immersing himself like few other journalists inside the world of hardline political leaders and movements, Blumenthal interviews the demagogues and divas in their homes, in the Knesset, and in the watering holes where their young acolytes hang out, and speaks with those political leaders behind the organized assault on civil liberties. As his journey deepens, he painstakingly reports on the occupied Palestinians challenging schemes of demographic separation through unarmed protest. He talks at length to the leaders and youth of Palestinian society inside Israel now targeted by security service dragnets and legislation suppressing their speech, and provides in-depth reporting on the small band of Jewish Israeli dissidents who have shaken off a conformist mindset that permeates the media, schools, and the military. Through his far-ranging travels, Blumenthal illuminates the present by uncovering the ghosts of the past-the histories of Palestinian neighborhoods and villages now gone and forgotten; how that history has set the stage for the current crisis of Israeli society; and how the Holocaust has been turned into justification for occupation. A brave and unflinching account of the real facts on the ground, Goliath is an unprecedented and compelling work of journalism"--

"Upheavals in the Middle East are challenging long held assumptions about politics and governance. The United States faces a moment of truth when half-measures, short-sighted expedients, and delays can no longer sustain an untenable status quo. This is as true in the Arab-Israeli peace process as it is in the politics of the Arab uprisings. This volume of essays argues that it is time for the United States to make a serious effort to advance Palestinian-Israeli peace. The issues in dispute are well-known, thoroughly debated, and resolvable. Intense, smart, determined, creative, and sustained American leadership can help regional leaders bridge their differences. "Now, nearly two decades after Rabin and Arafat shook hands on the White House lawn, Pathways to Peace offers a forward-looking assessment of the relationship between Israel, Palestine, and the United States. Through its diverse perspectives, this volume reminds us that cooperation must be rooted in shared responsibilities and shared benefits, and that the peace of the brave is still within reach." - President Bill Clinton "This is absolutely the right time for a book of essays that reinforce the urgent necessity of lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. This book is the antidote to the fatalism and pessimism; and above all it shows that with will and courage, a solution could be found. These are serious practical essays in policy making. You can agree or disagree with all that is written. But the essential urgency of the case is undeniable and brilliantly set out here. " - Tony Blair "Pathways to Peace is an extraordinary expression of wisdom on the urgent need for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Europeans, as well as Israelis, Palestinians and Americans, would be well-advised to act on the smart policy recommendations in this book. Imagine the impact on a rapidly changing Middle East of Israeli-Palestinian peace!" - Javier Solana, President of the ESADE Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics"--