Israel’s Forever War

This essential work looks at the background to the Hamas–Israel war and asks whether the international system can contain two simultaneous wars in Europe and the Levant.

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No war in living memory has stirred up such anger, fear and
loathing as the long-running Israel–Palestine conflict, and peace in the region
has never seemed further away. The 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel had
far-reaching and potentially devastating consequences for the Middle East and
for the world. As the war has expanded to take in other players in the area,
the future of Israel as a regional superpower is now in doubt and the chances
of all-out war between Israel and its neighbours have become much greater.



This essential work looks at the background to the
Hamas–Israel war and asks whether the international system can contain two simultaneous
wars in Europe and the Levant. It examines the wars that preceded this one, the
rise of Hamas and the roles Hezbollah, Iran and Syria play in the conflict.
Paul Moorcraft considers the war’s impact on Israeli society, the economy and
the Israel Defense Forces, while also looking at how media and propaganda shape
our view of the war and how the conflict affects the whole region’s
relationships with the west.



Here, Moorcraft brings all perspectives together in an
expert and balanced analysis, examining the potential outcomes of the war and
arguing that the two-state solution should be revived. Peace has never looked
more impossible – but the alternative, a forever war, is even more impossible.