From Mark Twain to Theodor Herzl, Gamal Abdul Nasser, Golda Meir, Anwar Sadat, Ezer Weizman, Ehud Barak, Marwan Barghouti, Mahmoud Abbas, Benjamin Netanyahu, John Kerry, and dozens of others, the first-hand narratives brought together in this Reader bring the conflict to life as seen by those closest to it.

Chapter 1. Two worlds collide. What is a nation? / Ernest Renan -- Innocents abroad / Mark Twain -- Nu'man al-Qasatli's Travels in Palestine / Abdul-Karim Rafeq -- Chapter 2. The Jewish story. Two poems / Yehuda Halevi -- Bilu manifesto, 1882 -- The Jewish state / Theodor Herzl -- On the slaughter / Chaim Nachman Bialik -- A hidden question / Yitzhak Epstein -- Open questions / Nehama Pukhachewsky -- Chapter 3. The Arab story. References to Jews in the Quran -- On the Franks / Nehama Pukhachewsky -- The Arab awakening / George Antonius -- The awakening of the Arab nation / Najib Azuri -- My view of Zionism / Khalil as-Sakakini -- Chapter 4. The emergence of Israel. The iron wall / Vladimir Jabotinsky -- The Arab case for Palestine / Hamid Frangieh -- We have our state / Golda Meir -- Memoirs of the first Palestine war / Gamal Abdul Nasser -- War is inevitable -- why? / Gamal Abdul Nasser -- Central Intelligence Agency memorandum, May 26, 1967 -- Chapter 5. The re-emergence of the Palestinians. Identity card / Mahmoud Darwish -- An olive branch and a gun / Yasir Arafat -- The road to peace / Anwar Sadat -- The 1978 negotiations at Camp David / Ezer Weizman -- The road to Oslo / Mahmoud Abbas -- Chapter 6. The first pass at peace. The Palestinians' fourteen demands / Sari Nusseibeh -- The Oslo accord / Yossi Beilin -- The Oslo accord / Mahmoud Abbas -- Collapse at Camp David / Ehud Barak -- Collapse at Camp David / Robert Malley and Hussein Agha -- Chapter 7. The fourth stage. Hamas covenant (1988) -- The second Intifada / Marwan Barghouti -- The Intifada : Israel government white paper -- Palestine papers : Olmert's offer to Abu Mazen -- My offer to Abbas / Ehud Olmert -- Conditions for a two-state solution / Benjamin Netanyahu -- Chapter 8. The downward spiral. Recognize Palestine as a UN member-state / Mahmoud Abbas -- Collapse of Kerry initiative / Martin Indyk -- 2014 Gaza war : Palestinian view / Diana Buttu -- 2014 Gaza war : Israeli view / Benjamin Netanyahu -- Saving the two-state solution / John Kerry -- Chapter 9. The impasse that remains. Territorial issues / Michael Herzog -- West Bank settlements : a Palestinian view / Walid Salem -- West Bank settlements : an Israeli view / Hillel Halkin -- The refugee issue : a Palestinian view / Rashid Khalidi -- The refugee issue : an Israeli view / Efraim Karsh -- Chapter 10. The perfect conflict. The one-state solution : a Palestinian version / Ghada Karmi -- The one-state solution : an Israeli version / Naftali Bennett -- The two-state solution / David C. Unger -- Linking justice to peace / Yaacov Bar-Siman-Tov.