A Land of Two Peoples
Martin Buber on Jews and Arabs
9780226839288
9780226839431
A Land of Two Peoples
Martin Buber on Jews and Arabs
A new edition of Martin Buber’s many writings on Arab-Jewish relations in Palestine, with updated forewords by two preeminent Palestinian and Jewish scholars.
The theologian and philosopher Martin Buber (1878–1965) was committed to radical socioeconomic reconstruction in pursuit of international peace. His voluminous writings on Arab-Jewish relations in Palestine interweave his religious and philosophical teachings with his politics, each essential to Buber’s vision of democratic and religious life.
A Land of Two Peoples collects the letters, talks, and essays in which Buber advocated for a binationalism that reconciled Arabs and Jews as a solution to the conflict in the Middle East. As relevant today as when it was first published nearly fifty years ago, this edition of A Land of Two Peoples includes two forewords from the preeminent Jewish and Palestinian scholars Paul Mendes-Flohr and Raef Zreik.
The theologian and philosopher Martin Buber (1878–1965) was committed to radical socioeconomic reconstruction in pursuit of international peace. His voluminous writings on Arab-Jewish relations in Palestine interweave his religious and philosophical teachings with his politics, each essential to Buber’s vision of democratic and religious life.
A Land of Two Peoples collects the letters, talks, and essays in which Buber advocated for a binationalism that reconciled Arabs and Jews as a solution to the conflict in the Middle East. As relevant today as when it was first published nearly fifty years ago, this edition of A Land of Two Peoples includes two forewords from the preeminent Jewish and Palestinian scholars Paul Mendes-Flohr and Raef Zreik.
352 pages | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | © 2025
History: Middle Eastern History
Philosophy: Political Philosophy
Religion: Judaism
Reviews
Table of Contents
Foreword: Truth and Reconciliation in Israel/Palestine, 2024
Paul Mendes-Flohr
Foreword, 2024
Raef Zreik
Preface, 2004
Paul Mendes-Flohr
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. A State of Cannons, Flags, and Military Decorations? (February 1918)
2. Toward the Decision (March 1919)
3. At This Late Hour (April 1920)
4. Nationalism (September 1921)
5. A Proposed Resolution on the Arab Question (September 1921)
6. Resolution on the Arab Question of the Twelfth Zionist Congress (September 1921)
7. Notes from the Congress Concerning Zionist Policy (October 1921)
8. Sidelights (April 1922)
9. Responsa on Zionist Policy (September 1922)
10. Brith Shalom (1925)
11. Soul-Searching (April 1926)
12. No More Declarations (August 1929)
13. The National Home and National Policy in Palestine (October 1929)
14. The Wailing Wall (October 1929)
15. Hans Kohn: “Zionism Is Not Judaism” (November 1929)
16. And If Not Now, When? (July 1932)
17. Mohandas K. Gandhi: The Jews (November 1938)
18. A Letter to Gandhi (February 1939)
19. Keep Faith! (July 1938)
20. Our Pseudo-Samsons (June 1939)
21. And Today? (March 1939)
22. Concerning Our Politics (August 1939)
23. False Prophets (Spring 1940)
24. Let Us Avoid Provocations! (3 March 1940)
25. The Ichud (September 1942)
26. In the Days of Silence (1943)
27. Do Not Believe It! (June 1944)
28. Nathan Rotenstreich: I Believed—Too Hastily? (August 1944)
29. An Additional Clarification: A Reply to Nathan Rotenstreich (August 1944)
30. Dialogue on the Biltmore Program (October 1944)
31. A Majority or Many? A Postscript to a Speech (May 1944)
32. Politics and Morality (April 1945)
33. Our Reply (September 1945)
34. The Meaning of Zionism (March 1946)
35. A Tragic Conflict? (May 1946)
36. It Is Not Sufficient! (July 1946)
37. A Plea for Clemency (August 1946)
38. Two Peoples in Palestine (June 1947)
39. Can the Deadlock Be Broken? (July 1947)
40. The Bi-National Approach to Zionism (1947)
41. Let Us Not Allow the Rabble To Rule Us! (January 1948)
42. A Fundamental Error Which Must Be Corrected (April 1948)
43. Zionism and “Zionism” (May 1948)
44. On the Assassination of Count Bernadotte (September 1948)
45. Let Us Make an End to Falsities! (October 1948)
46. Gideon Freudenberg: War and Peace. An Open Letter to Martin Buber (December 1948)
47. Facts and Demands: A Reply to Gideon Freudenberg (circa January 1949)
48. On the Moral Character of the State of Israel: A Debate with David Ben-Gurion (March 1949)
49. Should the Ichud Accept the Decree of History? (Spring 1949)
50. The Children of Amos (April 1949)
51. “Preface” to a Projected Volume on Arab-Jewish Rapprochement (circa 1950)
52. A Protest Against Expropriation of Arab Lands (March 1953)
53. We Need the Arabs, They Need Us! (January 1954)
54. Instead of Polemics (November 1956)
55. An Outrage (November 1956)
56. Socialism and Peace (1956)
57. Active Neutralism (October 1957)
58. Letters from Arabs to Buber (1958–1965)
59. Memorandum on the Military Government (February 1958)
60. Israel and the Command of the Spirit (April 1958)
61. Letter to Ben-Gurion on the Arab Refugees (October 1961)
62. Ben-Gurion and Israel’s Arabs (January 1962)
63. We Must Grant the Arabs Truly Equal Rights (January 1962)
64. On the Development of the Galilee: An Exchange between Buber and Levi Eshkol (October 1964)
65. The Time To Try (February 1965)
Sources
Index
Buber’s Legacy: 1993
Paul Mendes-Flohr
Paul Mendes-Flohr
Foreword, 2024
Raef Zreik
Preface, 2004
Paul Mendes-Flohr
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. A State of Cannons, Flags, and Military Decorations? (February 1918)
2. Toward the Decision (March 1919)
3. At This Late Hour (April 1920)
4. Nationalism (September 1921)
5. A Proposed Resolution on the Arab Question (September 1921)
6. Resolution on the Arab Question of the Twelfth Zionist Congress (September 1921)
7. Notes from the Congress Concerning Zionist Policy (October 1921)
8. Sidelights (April 1922)
9. Responsa on Zionist Policy (September 1922)
10. Brith Shalom (1925)
11. Soul-Searching (April 1926)
12. No More Declarations (August 1929)
13. The National Home and National Policy in Palestine (October 1929)
14. The Wailing Wall (October 1929)
15. Hans Kohn: “Zionism Is Not Judaism” (November 1929)
16. And If Not Now, When? (July 1932)
17. Mohandas K. Gandhi: The Jews (November 1938)
18. A Letter to Gandhi (February 1939)
19. Keep Faith! (July 1938)
20. Our Pseudo-Samsons (June 1939)
21. And Today? (March 1939)
22. Concerning Our Politics (August 1939)
23. False Prophets (Spring 1940)
24. Let Us Avoid Provocations! (3 March 1940)
25. The Ichud (September 1942)
26. In the Days of Silence (1943)
27. Do Not Believe It! (June 1944)
28. Nathan Rotenstreich: I Believed—Too Hastily? (August 1944)
29. An Additional Clarification: A Reply to Nathan Rotenstreich (August 1944)
30. Dialogue on the Biltmore Program (October 1944)
31. A Majority or Many? A Postscript to a Speech (May 1944)
32. Politics and Morality (April 1945)
33. Our Reply (September 1945)
34. The Meaning of Zionism (March 1946)
35. A Tragic Conflict? (May 1946)
36. It Is Not Sufficient! (July 1946)
37. A Plea for Clemency (August 1946)
38. Two Peoples in Palestine (June 1947)
39. Can the Deadlock Be Broken? (July 1947)
40. The Bi-National Approach to Zionism (1947)
41. Let Us Not Allow the Rabble To Rule Us! (January 1948)
42. A Fundamental Error Which Must Be Corrected (April 1948)
43. Zionism and “Zionism” (May 1948)
44. On the Assassination of Count Bernadotte (September 1948)
45. Let Us Make an End to Falsities! (October 1948)
46. Gideon Freudenberg: War and Peace. An Open Letter to Martin Buber (December 1948)
47. Facts and Demands: A Reply to Gideon Freudenberg (circa January 1949)
48. On the Moral Character of the State of Israel: A Debate with David Ben-Gurion (March 1949)
49. Should the Ichud Accept the Decree of History? (Spring 1949)
50. The Children of Amos (April 1949)
51. “Preface” to a Projected Volume on Arab-Jewish Rapprochement (circa 1950)
52. A Protest Against Expropriation of Arab Lands (March 1953)
53. We Need the Arabs, They Need Us! (January 1954)
54. Instead of Polemics (November 1956)
55. An Outrage (November 1956)
56. Socialism and Peace (1956)
57. Active Neutralism (October 1957)
58. Letters from Arabs to Buber (1958–1965)
59. Memorandum on the Military Government (February 1958)
60. Israel and the Command of the Spirit (April 1958)
61. Letter to Ben-Gurion on the Arab Refugees (October 1961)
62. Ben-Gurion and Israel’s Arabs (January 1962)
63. We Must Grant the Arabs Truly Equal Rights (January 1962)
64. On the Development of the Galilee: An Exchange between Buber and Levi Eshkol (October 1964)
65. The Time To Try (February 1965)
Sources
Index
Buber’s Legacy: 1993
Paul Mendes-Flohr