Beyond the Balfour Declaration by Leslie Turnberg

Hardback
April 2017

2017 marks one hundred years since the Balfour Declaration, the landmark letter that expressed the British government's support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. A century later, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians rages on, without prospect of a peace agreement any time soon. This timely book explores why innumerable efforts to resolve the conflict have always failed, and questions how an agreement could ever be reached.

Shedding some much-needed light on many of the misconceptions of the Declaration, this book also navigates the complex history of the situation ever since. Labour peer and medical professor Leslie Turnberg elegantly places this particular conflict within the context of the turmoil in the rest of the Middle East, explaining how they have influenced one another.

At a time of global uncertainties and fears of terrorism, Turnberg offers a balanced look at how best to plot a course amongst shifting alliances and an ever-changing political climate. Why have negotiations between Palestine and Israel consistently broken down? Beyond the Balfour Declaration details what an agreement might look like, and the steps that need to be taken to begin the process.