To be made available shortly.

Today’s discussion about Israel is too often supercharged with emotion and underpowered in expertise and nuance. It is time to confront this challenge. We stand at a crossroads and in need of tough-minded and expert intellectual analysis.

First, there is a desperate need for a deeper understanding of Israeli society itself – complex and fast-changing, commanding global attention, yet often reduced to a mere caricature by parts of the mass media, civil society and intellectual culture. Fathom will present Israel in HD.

Second, the revolutionary changes in the Arab world have transformed Israel’s neighbourhood into a radically different and bitterly contested political terrain. Social movements with eyes fixed on democratic vistas have been overshadowed on the one hand by the possibility of chaos and on the other by new forms of authoritarianism, religious and secular. Fathom will map this historic contest and explore the profound implications it bears for both Israeli security and the Middle East peace process.

Th­ird, the Israel-Palestinian peace process requires fresh thinking. Two states for two peoples remains the only way to balance Jewish and Palestinian demands for sovereign independence and national self-determination, but there has been a waning of support for this project, among intellectuals especially. Fathom will be a partisan and artisan of the two-state solution, helping to put some intellectual substance back into the project of mutual recognition and peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians.

Th­ough the significance of the obstacles to resolving the conflict cannot be ignored, we refuse to give in to the current vogue for pessimism. ‘­the peace process is dead’ is one of Middle East journalism’s favourite clichés. But giving up is not an option for millions of ordinary Israelis and Palestinians who yearn for a better future. And there is no cause to give up: majorities on both sides want peace and a conflict-ending agreement has been glimpsed more than once in recent negotiations. Fathom will offer hard-headed realism about where we are in the peace process, but we will also open our pages to ambitious thinking about where we want to be and how to get there.

Fourth, Fathom will explore the current state and future prospects of the strategic relationship between Britain and Israel. ­The two countries share a history as well as many progressive values and a wide range of interests – not just strategic and political but in business and trade, culture and civil society, and science and technology.

Fathom will fuse the rigour and intellectual credibility of the old-school journal to the tremendous potential of new publishing technologies and social networks. Th­e journal is published by the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre, an independent British organisation founded in 2001 to foster a more complete understanding of Israel.

BICOM believes in the right of the State of Israel to live in peace and security and in the rights of the Palestinians to statehood. We support a close relationship between Britain and Israel, based on shared values and interests. Unusually, Fathom’s contributors and advisory editors will be drawn from across the political spectrum. Our goal is not to push a narrow party line but to build a global intellectual space for serious bi-partisan debate about Israel and the region. We intend to create a more interesting conversation about Israel – more knowledgeable, more nuanced and more challenging (for all parties) than the tired slogans that are shouted in the boring megaphone war.

So beware: there will be at least one piece in every issue that you disagree with, perhaps vehemently! Our wager is that you will keep coming back because you value expert analysis, acute commentary and grown-up debate. In that spirit we invite your submissions and your feedback.

THE EDITORS

The importance of the Israel/Palestine conflict for world peace is sometimes exaggerated, but for those of us focused on the conflict, for those of us who hope for peace here, even amidst the surrounding chaos, “two states for two peoples” remains the necessary guiding idea. Fathom magazine is one of the key places where that idea is explained and defended; its new project deserves our strongest support. Michael Walzer, Professor Emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, and editorial board member of Dissent magazine.

As an Israeli concerned for Israel’s future as the nation state of the Jewish people and for a peaceful resolution of Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians people,  I sincerely believe that Fathom’s Peace and Coexistence Research Project is a critical component of the ongoing struggle to maintain the political relevance of the Two-State solution. The sense in some circles that this solution might no longer be relevant is potentially extremely dangerous for both Israelis and Palestinians. Fathom’s Project is, therefore, worthy of every support. Asher Susser, Professor Emeritus of Middle Eastern History, Tel Aviv University, Israel.

Fathom’s Peace and Coexistence Research Project is a beacon of light in difficult times.  ‘Two states for two peoples’ remains a vital interest for the State of Israel and this project promotes a creative, yet practical discourse that contributes towards that goal.’ Prof. Jonathan Rynhold, Director, Argov Center for the Study of Israel and the Jewish People, Deputy Head, Dept. of Political Studies, Bar-Ilan University.

Some of the most creative thinking about the future of the two state solution is going on over at Fathom journal these days.  I can read Israelis and Palestinians, Brits and Americans who refuse to give up on the ‘two states for two peoples’ paradigm. I really value that.’ Ian Austin UK MP (Labour).

Fathom’s Peace and Coexistence project plays a vital role in today’s conversation about the Middle East. At a time when dangerous cliches threaten to overwhelm political and moral intelligence we need its vibrant, smart contribution more than ever. Mitchell Cohen, Editor Emeritus, Dissent Magazine and Professor of Political Science, Bernard Baruch College and the Graduate School of the City University of New York.

In an atmosphere where many supporters of the Palestinian right to self-determination would deny Israel’s right to exist, and no few supporters of Zionism would deny the Palestinian right to self-determination, voices like Fathom’s are indispensable. Unflinching in its honesty, rigorous in its criticisms, Fathom has been a clear and persistent voice to uphold the two state solution as both morally consistent on universal democratic grounds, and politically pragmatic. Fathom was and is one of the best sources on the controversies surrounding the conflict and its many ramification within and outside the region. Gadi Taub, Israeli historian, author, screenwriter, and political commentator. He is a Senior Lecturer in the School Public Policy and the Department of Communications at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and columnist at Haaretz.

Two states for two peoples is the only political solution that will potentially meet both the minimum security needs of Israel and the minimum national aspirations of the Palestinians. The two-state solution may have many critics, but nobody has designed a viable alternative model to facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace and reconciliation. Fathom’s Peace and Coexistence Project does us all a favour – Israeli Jews, Palestinian Arabs and the entire international community – in renewing constructive debate and discussion about strategies for progressing a two states for two peoples paradigm. Philip Mendes, Associate Professor, Department of Social Work, Monash University, Australia.

‘Many people have deeply held beliefs and passionate opinions about Israel and the Middle East. Very few people actually know about Israel and the Middle East. Fathom is an excellent source for those who wish to join the camp of those who actually know something about Israel, rather than just have an opinion about it.’ Einat Wilf, a member of the Knesset for the Labour Party and Independence from 2010-2013.

‘Fathom is an insightful, measured and thought provoking publication.’ Professor Clive Jones, Chair in Regional Security School of Government and International Affairs, University of Durham.

‘Fathom is a very impressive publication. I congratulate the editors for filling an extraordinarily important gap on the UK intellectual/political scene.’ Steven J. Zipperstein, Professor of Jewish Culture and History, Stanford University.

‘It’s great to see this new journal. It’s accessible and provides expert analysis on strategic, cultural and economic issues relating to Israel. Amidst a lot of a sloganeering, Fathom provides nuanced discussion. As such, it fills a real gap.’ Amnon Rubinstein, Israeli law scholar, politician, and columnist. A member of the Knesset between 1977 and 2002, he served in several ministerial positions.

Fathom is fascinating! A genuinely interesting, well-designed and thought-provoking quarterly journal. We are delighted to include it in the INSS library collections.’ Moshe Grundman, Director of Publications at the Institute for National Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv, Israel.

‘For anyone interested in Israel and its neighbourhood, Fathom is certainly one of the very best sources – thoughtful, excellently informed and fully reliable.’ Alexander Yacobson, Associate Professor of Ancient History at the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.