The Discourse of Palestinian-Israeli Relations

Many observers have portrayed the Oslo Process as a milestone in the peacemaking process between Palestinians and Israelis. In this controversial and groundbreaking new work, McMahon challenges the interpretation of the Oslo Process as a breakthrough or new beginning in Palestinian-Israeli relations. He argues that the Oslo Process affected no discursive or non-discursive change and that the Oslo Process in fact institutionalized the analytics practices involved in Israeli and Palestinian relations. It should, McMahon concludes, be no surprise that the process ended with direct Palestinian-Israeli violence. This book will be crucial reading for scholars of Israeli and Palestinian relations as well as anyone who is interested in understanding what discursive change must occur for peace between Israel and Palestinians to be established and sustained.

Sean F. McMahon is a Post-Doctoral Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor at the American University in Cairo. His research focuses on Palestinian-Israeli politics generally, and the Oslo Process and its effects more specifically. He has published his research in Canadian Foreign Policy and the British Journal of Middle East Studies.