Episode · The Ezra Klein Show · 2026-04-14
Books mentioned on Reckoning With Israel’s ‘One State Reality’ | The Ezra Klein Show
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Wars of Ambition
Wars of Ambition by Afshon Ostovar is a comprehensive historical examination of the ongoing geopolitical competition between the United States and Iran spanning the entire Middle East region.
Recommended“And I think it’s pretty essential reading for a lot of the stuff we were just talking about a second book, Afshon Ostovar has a recent book called "Wars of Ambition," which is a really sweeping history of American Iranian competition across the entire Middle East, and it’s pretty much as timely as you can get in terms of really”
Where to get it
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The Second Emancipation
The Second Emancipation by Howard W.
Recommended“And then for the last book, I really went back and forth, but I think I’m going to go with Howard French’s recent book called "The Second Emancipation." It’s a biography of Kwame Nkrumah and Ghanaian independence, and it has nothing to do with Israel-Palestine or the Middle East, but it’s just a fascinating story about decolonization and the frustrations”
Where to get it
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Mayors in the Middle
Mayors in the Middle by Diana B.
Recommended“The first book is by Diana Greenwald, "Mayors in the Middle," which is really about the indirect Israeli control of Palestinian territories. And she does that in a brilliant way, in a way that kind of brings home why it is a one state reality.”
Where to get it
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Israel: What Went Wrong?
Israel: What Went Wrong? by Omer Bartov is a critical interpretation examining the historical trajectory and contemporary political realities of Israel.
Recommended“The second book is by Omer Bartov. Omer has a New book. It’s called "Israel: What Went Wrong?" It’s coming out this month. I happened to read the galleys before it came out, and it’s very powerful kind of interpretation of what happened in Israel, a country that was essentially, in part built to protect Jews globally and in fact”
Where to get it
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Tomorrow Is Yesterday
Tomorrow Is Yesterday by Hussein Agha and Robert Malley is a geopolitical analysis examining the pursuit of peace, conflict, and the breakdown of negotiations in Israel and Palestine.
Recommended“The third book is by Hussein Agha, Robert Malley. "Tomorrow is Yesterday." These are two seasoned analysts. Robert Malley, of course, served in the US government for many years on israel-palestine as well as on Iran. And I had advised the Palestinian delegation they had written together in the past. But this book is a powerful book, really about looking”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Passing America’s Middle East
“Lynch is the author, most recently, of "America’s Middle East: the Ruination of a Region."”