Since independence, Israel has lived with a paradox, needing and seeking legitimacy, understanding, and empathy from the world community while simultaneously also discounting the world. This volume reflects upon Israel’s troubled attempts to balance its desire to be different from a world that it simultaneously genuinely needs and that it also wants to be a legitimate member of.

Gathering distinguished scholars and public figures, this timely book discusses the causes and consequences of Israel’s unsettled relations with the world. With essays ranging from an account of Israel’s exile mentality and the cosmopolitanism of suffering to a fragmenting international legal order and whether an authentic religious process can transform religion into a powerful lever for peace, the book’s innovative analysis will spark both academic and public debate.

Israel in the World: Legitimacy and Exceptionalism will appeal to scholars and students with broad ranging research interests including Middle East Studies, Israeli Studies and international relations more generally.