Everything you need to know to understand the most bitter and consequential conflict of the modern world. The conflict between Palestine and Israel is one of the most bitter struggles in history with profound consequences in the Middle East and around the world. In this accessible introduction, Michael Scott-Baumann traces its origins and charts its history from civil war to the present day. Each chapter starts with an examination of the politics and ends with personal testimony from the diaries, interviews and memoirs of Israelis and Palestinians whose lives have been marked by conflict. The result is an indispensable account of the main issues including analysis of why efforts to restore peace have continually failed.