If you have ever wondered ?Why is there so much violence in the Middle East??, ?Who are the Palestinians??, ?What are the occupied territories?? or ?What does Israel want??, then this is the book for you. With straightforward language, Phyllis Bennis, longtime analyst of the region, answers basic questions about Israel and Israelis, Palestine and Palestinians, the US and the Middle East, Zionism and anti-Semitism; about complex issues ranging from the Oslo peace process to the election of Hamas to the Goldstone Report and Trump?s plan to move of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Together her answers provide a comprehensive understanding of the longstanding Palestinian?Israeli conflict. This new edition includes sections on the continuing settlement crisis, Palestine in the Arab Spring, BDS and the Palestinian nonviolent movements, an update on Gaza, US-Israel relations after the election of Donald Trump as president and what?s ahead. Sections include: The Crisis; The Other Players: The Role of the US, the UN, the Arab States, and Europe; Recent History: Rising Violence; Looking Backward (1900-1991); The Future.