“An indispensable, closely argued, and conditionally apocalyptic book. . . . Gorenberg tells us that the Israel of the mainstream American, Leon Uris-influenced imagination is not the Israel of today’s reality. The Israel of today is rampant with illiberal feeling. . . . Gorenberg outlines many reasonable steps Israel should take to disentangle religion from the state.” —Jeffrey Goldberg, New York Times Book Review Prominent Israeli journalist Gershom Gorenberg offers a penetrating and provocative look at how the balance of power in Israel has shifted toward extremism, threatening the prospects for peace and democracy In this penetrating and provocative look at the state of contemporary Israel, acclaimed Israeli historian and journalist Gershom Gorenberg reveals how the nation's policies are undermining its democracy and existence as a Jewish state, and explains what must be done to bring it back from the brink. Refuting shrill defenses of Israel and equally strident attacks, Gorenberg shows that the Jewish state is, in fact, unique among countries born in the postcolonial era: it began as a parliamentary democracy and has remained one. Yet shortsighted policies, unintended consequences, and its refusal to heed warnings now threaten its many accomplishments. Based on groundbreaking historical research and a quarter century of experience reporting in the region, The Unmaking of Israel is a brilliant, deeply personal critique by a progressive Israeli, and a plea for realizing the nation's potential. “Until I read The Unmaking of Israel , I didn’t think it could be possible to feel more despairing, and then more terribly hopeful, about Israel, a place that I began at last, under the spell of Gershom Gorenberg’s lucid and dispassionate yet intensely personal writing, to understand.” - Michael Chabon “In a more forward-looking country, one less devoted to hounding its critics out of existence, legislators would roam the halls of the Knesset carrying well-thumbed copies of Gershom Gorenberg’s The Unmaking of Israel . . . . Gorenberg calmly diagnoses the problems facing Israel before courageously taking a swing at offering solutions. . . . His book should afford a great deal of intellectual and emotional sustenance to those desperate for Israel to find a way out of its self-inflicted imbroglio.” - The National “In a more forward-looking country, one less devoted to hounding its critics out of existence, legislators would roam the halls of the Knesset carrying well-thumbed copies of Gershom Gorenberg’s The Unmaking of Israel .” - The National “A powerful and persuasive new book. . . . A finely documented piece of reporting in which Gorenberg shows how the collusion of three powerful forces—the civilian government, the military, and the growing ultra-Orthodox movement—has solidified the hold on the occupied territories and made the prospect of withdrawal fraught with danger.” - Joshua Hammer, Washington Monthly “Eloquent.  . . . An indispensable, closely argued, and conditionally apocalyptic book.  . . . Gorenberg outlines many reasonable steps Israel should take to disentangle religion from the state.” - Jeffrey Goldberg, New York Times Book Review “Clear and well argued.” - The Palestine Chronicle “Gorenberg presents the definitive case for viewing the occupation as more of a threat to Israel than an asset. . . . Required reading for anyone about to embark on a trip to Israel.” - Haaretz “A cogent and incisive new book.  . . . Serial chapters tell the story: the analysis of the past and present of the ‘settlement movement’ is superb; a discussion of the Israeli Right, Far Right, and Even Further Right contextualizes much of the current political reality for the reader; a splendid history of the well-known but little-understood hesder yeshiva movement.  . . . Right or left, Orthodox dati or secular, many will find Gorenberg’s sharp reporting and analysis, to say nothing of his prodigious research, invaluable in understanding Israel as it moves, Deo volente, from ethnic movement to democratic state.” - The Jewish Week “Gorenberg provides a deft but penetrating and highly nuanced account of the recent history and current politics of Israel.  . . . He issues a heartfelt and heart-rending plea for the repair of the Jewish democracy.” - The Jewish Journal “At the core of the book lies a terrifying analogy: Israel as Pakistan, a country whose government has empowered a lawless, fanatical religious movement now subverting the very state that empowered it. Is the analogy apt today? No, but Gorenberg makes a frighteningly convincing case that it might be soon.” - Newsweek “An important book.  . . . Essential reading for those in the U.S. who view Israel in simple terms as ‘the only democracy’ in the Middle East. Gorenberg has provided a roadmap for a better future. One hopes that this deeply personal critique will receive the consideration it deserves.” - The Washington Independent Review of Books