The failure of many in the US antiwar movement to fight anti-Arab/anti-Muslim racism is often rooted in conscious or unconscious acceptance of two interconnected racist ideologies—Islamophobia and Zionism. A good example of this is the anti-war movement’s wary response to Hamas’ overwhelming victory in this year’s Palestinian legislative elections.

Through the voices of the IDF soldiers who refuse to serve in the occupied territories, Breaking Ranks offers incredible insight into Israel’s movement for a just peace. While it focuses almost exclusively on occupied Palestine, the book is an invaluable tool to understand the motivations, politics, and racism behind Israel’s war on Lebanon. When war broke out with Hezbollah, Meretz—Israel’s “peace party” which holds seats in the Knesset—supported the bombing of Lebanon using the tired excuse that Israel “had no choice.” Israeli refusers have heard it before and likely aren’t surprised by the party’s position. Meretz has always condemned the refuseniks.

The Palestinian solidarity movement has made significant gains since the onset of the Second Palestinian Intifada in September 2000. Over the last five years, a new generation of Palestinian solidarity activists has mobilized in the streets, campuses, and schools across North America. Among the left and progressive movements, there is broad acceptance of the proposition that US foreign policy in the Middle East is based on support for Israel as a “colonial-settler” state, to draw upon the title of Maxime Rodinson’s classic work.

Until the beginning of this year, Israeli colonialist plans had been going ahead smoothly. Almost half of the Apartheid Wall project—that steals 48% of the West Bank land—had been built. The de-Arabization of Jerusalem was progressing rapidly leaving the city almost completely isolated. The Orwellian terminals to funnel goods and workers among the Palestinian ghettos carved out by the Wall were edging closer to completion (for more information see Cementing Israeli Apartheid: The Role of the World Bank in the Oct/Nov 2005 Left Turn).