A decisive break from the failed Oslo Accords and an innovative plan to create the foundations for peace and self-determination in Israel-Palestine.
For more than three decades, the illusion of a two-state solution under the auspices of the Oslo Accords has allowed Israel to maintain a one-state reality of permanent occupation and apartheid.
Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man and Sarah Leah Whitson challenge this approach, presenting a road map to end these crimes and create a rights-respecting regime for everyone now living under Israeli control. Only once basic safety and legal equality are assured can Jewish Israelis and Palestinians determine their futures—in one, two, or more states if they choose—through an inclusive, democratic process. Breaking with the failures of the past, the plan presented here makes clear that ongoing violations of basic human rights must be ended before issues of governance can be equitably addressed.
Clear-eyed yet hopeful, Omer-Man and Whitson offer proof of concept that democracy and equality are indeed attainable—and call on the international community to create the conditions required for them to flourish.
Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man is Israel-Palestine Director at DAWN and former Editor in Chief of +972 Magazine.
Sarah Leah Whitson is Executive Director of DAWN and former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa Division.
"Neither utopian nor resigned, From Apartheid to Democracy is a pragmatic road map for transforming an undemocratic one-state reality into a democratic one. The world desperately needs the conversation this book is trying to start by demonstrating that policy alternatives do indeed exist."—Nathan Thrall, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy
"With the two-state settlement paradigm reduced by its sponsors to an unattainable slogan, Michael Omer-Man and Sarah Whitson ask a more pertinent question: How can the existing yet dystopian one-state reality be transformed into a civilized space that offers all within it a future worth living? There is no dearth of literature making the case for a democratic one-state solution. The authors of this book distinguish themselves by offering a practical and detailed blueprint to achieve it, informed by the breadth and depth of their knowledge and experience. In producing this text, the authors have provided a vital contribution to both scholarship and advocacy on the subject, which the seismic events in the region since October 2023 have served to make more rather than less relevant and urgent."—Mouin Rabbani, coeditor of Jadaliyya
"Compassionate, rigorous, and visionary, From Apartheid to Democracy provides a necessary antidote to the prevailing orthodoxy concerning Palestine/Israel that offers no plausible path toward durable peace. In defining concrete and realizable steps to address current injustices, the authors inspire hope for a better future for all people who live there."—George Bisharat, Professor Emeritus of Law, UC Law San Francisco
"A bold proposal for holding Israel accountable to international law to end its apartheid regime and ensure equal rights for all people under its rule. Offering nine practical steps that can transform the undemocratic one-state reality into a democratic one, From Apartheid to Democracy is insightful, lucid, and urgent. It is a must-read for policymakers and anyone keen on finding a way out of the ongoing impasse, failed solutions, and the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis alike."—Leila Farsakh, editor of Rethinking Statehood in Palestine: Self-Determination and Decolonization Beyond Partition
"Omer-Man and Whitson's From Apartheid to Democracy challenges conventional thinking and models for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and presents a bold and innovative approach. A must-read for anyone seeking a democratic and peaceful future for Palestinians and Israelis."—Michael Sfard, Israeli human rights lawyer and author of The Wall and the Gate: Israel, Palestine, and the Legal Battle for Human Rights
"Many visions for the future of Israel-Palestine have been articulated, but scant attention has been given to what it will take, practically speaking, to achieve them. Drawing on meticulous research about the law and politics of Israel-Palestine and best practices elsewhere, From Apartheid to Democracy fills that void. Its step-by-step plan for a transition to an equal and peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians raises provocative questions. But in a world where policymakers have shown little willingness to do more than wring their hands about the tragedy in the Middle East—when they're not washing them entirely—it's a provocation that's long overdue."—Omar M. Dajani, Joint Board Co-Chair of A Land for All and Carol Olson Professor of International Law, McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific
272 pp.6 x 9
9780520402003$26.95|£23.00Paper
Sep 2025