Introduction: can the Israeli national conversation be healed? -- Part I. Political ideologies in crisis -- Right and left - a tale of two shifts -- The right's ideological shift -- The left's ideological shift -- Religious Zionism and the Messianic shift -- Part II. Political ideas in crisis -- Both sides are right -- A confusing paradox -- No security problem? -- No demographic problem? -- The moral dilemma -- The Jewish dilemma -- From confusion to understanding -- Part III. The sphere of pragmatic discourse -- The state and its dreams -- The partial-peace plan -- The divergence plan -- Political pragmatism as a bridge between the left and the right -- Afterword

Since the Six-Day War, Israelis have been entrenched in a national debate over whether to keep the land they conquered or to return some, if not all, of the territories to Palestinians. In a balanced and insightful analysis, Micah Goodman deftly sheds light on the ideas that have shaped Israelis' thinking on both sides of the debate, and among secular and religious Jews about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Contrary to opinions that dominate the discussion, he shows that the paradox of Israeli political discourse is that both sides are right in what they affirm--and wrong in what they deny. Although he concludes that the conflict cannot be solved, Goodman is far from a pessimist and explores how instead it can be reduced in scope and danger through limited, practical steps. Through philosophical critique and political analysis, Goodman builds a creative, compelling case for pragmatism in a dispute where a comprehensive solution seems impossible