Israel: What Went Wrong? by Omer Bartov - Finalist for Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2026 | Hardcover

FINALIST FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2026

'Remarkable' GUARDIAN

'Anyone disturbed and frightened by our current moral and intellectual morass should read it' PANKAJ MISHRA

A leading genocide scholar explores the history of Zionism, Israel’s lurch towards extreme oppression and violence, and why it stands accused of crimes against humanity.

Professor Omer Bartov, born on a kibbutz and raised in Tel Aviv, served in the Israel Defence Forces during the Yom Kippur War. After becoming an expert on the German army and the Holocaust, he turned his attention to his native country.

In Israel: What Went Wrong?, Bartov examines the transformation of Zionism from a movement of Jewish emancipation and liberation into a state ideology of ethno-nationalism, exclusion, and the violent domination of Palestinians. He traces the process by which Israel, established in 1948 with international support following the Holocaust, now faces accusations of war crimes and genocide.

The book questions the implications of Israel’s near-total impunity for the post-1945 international legal regime and explores the widespread support for these policies among Israel’s Jewish citizens.

This is a searing and urgent critique that addresses contemporary debates over Zionism, genocide, and the future of Israel with rigor and depth.

• Author: Omer Bartov
• Format: Hardcover
• Publisher: Fern Press
• Publication Date: April 23, 2026
• Edition: 1st
• Language: English
• Page Count: 256 pages
• Dimensions: 14.5 x 2.4 x 22.3 cm
• Weight: 350 g
• ISBN-10: 1911717693
• ISBN-13: 978-1911717690

This insightful and critical analysis offers a deep dive into the complexities of Israel's political landscape and its historical trajectory.