Obstacle to Peace

The US Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

by JEREMY R. HAMMOND

Obstacle to Peace will help you navigate the maze of conflicting information, revealing the clear path forward and empowering you with the knowledge to become an effective voice for peace.

Or try before you buy!

“Jeremy Hammond’s carefully documented and highly informative study … is a welcome and timely contribution, and one that focuses directly on a salient issue, all too often evaded.” Noam Chomsky

“Hammond’s book breaks new ground in ways that fundamentally alter our understanding of the conflict and how to resolve it.” Richard Falk, from the Foreword

“I found Obstacle to Peace quite convincing, but my pride in being Jewish and American, and my identification with many Israelis, remains intact.” Gene Epstein, from the Introduction

Read the First Chapter Now for Free!

The Table of Contents
Richard Falk’s Foreword
Gene Epstein’s Introduction
Jeremy R. Hammond’s Preface
The entire first chapter, “The Rise of Hamas in Gaza”

Plus, get a free primer e-course giving you the most essential need-to-know information about the Israel-Palestine conflict and the opportunity to have your questions answered by the author!

What’s Inside the Book

Why has peace in the Middle East remained so elusive?

Obstacle to Peace not only provides the answer, but also explains why you won’t hear it from U.S. government officials or the mainstream media.

With incisive and provocative analysis, Jeremy R. Hammond provides a meticulously documented account that explodes popular myths and deconstructs standard narratives about the Israel-Palestine conflict.

For anyone seeking a better understanding of the conflict’s root causes, the true reasons for its persistence, and the way forward, Obstacle to Peace delivers the knowledge and insights to effect the paradigm shift required to achieve justice and peace in the Middle East.

What You’ll Learn in Obstacle to Peace

Here are just a few of the things you’ll learn the truth about in this book:

How US and Israeli policies have strengthened Hamas
Why Israel implemented an illegal policy of collectively punishing the civilian population of Gaza, and how it’s been able to do so with impunity
What really happened during Operation Cast Lead and Operation Pillar of Defense, two of Israel’s large-scale military assaults on the defenseless Gaza Strip
What the so-called “peace process” is and why the US pursues it so aggressively
Why Israel attacked the Mavi Marmara in international waters, and why the US defended the killing of nine peace activists on board
How Israel has maintained its occupation of Palestine and what must happen to bring it to an end
What must occur for Palestinian refugees to have a realistic hope of exercising their right to return to their homeland
How and why the US mainstream media manipulate information so as to manufacture consent for US foreign policy
How to decipher the euphemistic language used by the government and media to deceive the public
How the United Nations helped create the conflict and how Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has played a duplicitous role
What the Goldstone Report was, what its findings were, and why it so upset the US and Israel
How, despite congenial rhetoric to the contrary, the Obama administration has continued the longstanding US policy of rejecting the rights of the Palestinian people
And much more!

Who Should Read Obstacle to Peace?

Obstacle to Peace was written for anyone interested in seeing a just and peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, even if possessing little prior knowledge of the subject. Readers who will benefit from reading this book include:

Activists
Journalists
Bloggers
Policymakers
Academics
Any layperson who would like to understand what the conflict is about, why it persists, and how it can be resolved

Praise for Obstacle to Peace

“Jeremy Hammond’s carefully documented and highly informative study of how Washington has joined Israel in undermining the efforts to achieve a peaceful political settlement of the Israel-Palestine conflict is a welcome and timely contribution, and one that focuses directly on a salient issue, all too often evaded. Unless and until US policy shifts from the obstructionism that he details convincingly, this grim and destructive confrontation is likely to take a terrible toll on the Palestinian victims, with harmful consequences for the Israeli occupiers as well, probably reaching well beyond.” Noam Chomsky

Author of "Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel & The Palestinians"

“This important book documents Washington’s complicity in, and coverup of, Israel’s theft of Palestine.” Paul Craig Roberts

Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and Wall Street Journal Editor

“Successive American administrations from both parties have doomed Palestinians to a series of Bantustans in the West Bank and what amounts to an open air prison in the Gaza Strip. In turn, Washington has emboldened right-wing forces in Israel, plunging the country into a zero-sum game with no clear resolution in sight. Over the course of a book that is as meticulously detailed as it is readable, Jeremy Hammond explains how the US approach he correctly identifies as rejectionist is closing the door on peace in the Holy Land. We must learn the historical lessons Hammond outlines in Obstacle to Peace before that door is nailed shut for good.” Max Blumenthal

Author of "Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel"

“Jeremy Hammond is a fearless independent journalist who does not allow hypocrisy and maneuvers to escape his critical eye. His book Obstacle to Peace: The US Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is a sharp analysis of America’s Middle East policy which shields Israel’s crimes against Palestinians. This book should be read by anyone interested in knowing about the agony of Palestinians.” Deepak Tripathi

Author of "Imperial Designs: War, Humiliation and the Making of History"

“I read Obstacle to Peace with great interest. Hammond is a knowledgeable and insightful writer. His analysis is sharp and original, refusing to allow mythology to supersede reality. We often discuss Israel-Palestine with too little attention to the central role of US policy. This book illustrates why such an omission is a terrible mistake.” Steven Salaita

Associate Professor of English at Virginia Tech and author of six books, including "Israel’s Dead Soul" and "The Holy Land in Transit: Colonialism and the Quest for Canaan"

“Outstanding. This highly informative and meticulously researched book is a valuable resource for every scholar and activist. The flair with which the book has been written makes it accessible to those who are not as familiar with the Israel-Palestinian issue but who are eager to perfect their knowledge. Hammond’s illuminating and invaluable book deserves a wide audience.” Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich

Independent Researcher and Foreign Policy Analyst

“In Obstacle to Peace, Mr. Hammond provides a meticulously documented and compelling narrative of the long running Israel-Palestine conflict and the role that the United States has played in thwarting potential solutions. This work not only tells the story but also provides a valuable research vehicle for policy makers and commentators alike. It is a must for every bookshelf on this topic.” Don Liebich

Author of "Fault Lines: The Layman’s Guide to Understanding America’s Role in the Ever-Changing Middle East"

“When I first came to Palestine in 2003, I was naïve in many ways and had to start from the beginning. My previous work in South Africa helped to open up my eyes and see the deepening of apartheid in the Middle East, but what was missing was a book like Obstacle to Peace. The book is a bridge to a real peace process, unlike the vacuous diplomacy that continues while the colonization and theft does not stop and the apartheid is manifested. Obstacle to Peace helps those of us concerned with peace and justice to be firmly rooted when we speak out.” Mats Svensson

Former Swedish diplomat and author of "Crimes, Victims and Witnesses: Apartheid in Palestine"