Peter Beinart is an American journalist, political commentator, and professor known for his thought-provoking essays and books on American foreign policy, politics, and the Jewish-American community. Over the years, Beinart has evolved from a liberal hawk, supporting the Iraq War in 2003, to a prominent critic of Israeli policies towards Palestinians, reflecting a significant shift in his views on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Born in 1971 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Beinart graduated from Yale University and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. He gained prominence as the editor of The New Republic from 1999 to 2006, where he initially supported neoconservative policies. However, his views have shifted considerably since then.

Beinart’s transformation is most evident in his writings and public statements about Israel and Palestine. He has become a vocal critic of the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians and the continued expansion of settlements in the occupied territories. Beinart argues for a more equitable and humane approach to the conflict, emphasizing the rights and dignity of Palestinians.

In his 2012 book, The Crisis of Zionism, Beinart critiques the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and challenges American Jewish organizations to rethink their unconditional support for Israeli government policies. He advocates for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, warning that the status quo undermines Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state and violates Palestinian rights.

More recently, Beinart has gone further, questioning the viability of a two-state solution given the current political and geographic realities. In a widely discussed July 2020 essay in Jewish Currents, Beinart argued for a binational state that would grant equal rights to Jews and Palestinians. This position marked a significant departure from mainstream Zionist thought and sparked considerable debate within the Jewish community and beyond.

Beinart’s work is characterized by a willingness to challenge orthodoxies and engage in difficult conversations about nationalism, identity, and morality. While his positions have made him a controversial figure, especially among more conservative members of the Jewish community, he remains a influential voice in debates over American foreign policy and the future of Israel and Palestine. Beinart is a contributor to The Atlantic and Jewish Currents, and he appears regularly on television and radio as a political commentator. He also teaches journalism and political science at the City University of New York.