Joel Kovel argues that the inner contradictions of Zionism have led Israel to a "state-sponsored racism" fully as incorrigible as that of apartheid South Africa and deserving of the same resolution. He argues that only a path toward single-state secular democracy can provide the justice essential to healing the wounds of the Middle East.

Kovel is well-known as a writer on the Middle East conflict. In this book he draws on his detailed knowledge to show that Zionism and democracy are essentially incompatible. He offers a thoughtful account of the emergence and disintegration of Zionism that integrates psychological, political, cultural, economic, and ideological levels. Ultimately, Kovel argues, a two-state solution is hopeless as it concedes too much to the regressive forces of nationalism, wherein lie the roots of continued conflict.