Over the course of four years, Jasmin Habib was a participant observer on tours of Israel organized for diaspora Jews as well as at North American community events focusing on Israel and Israel-diaspora relations. In this book, she argues that much of the existing literature about North American Jews and their relationship to Israel ignores their reactions to official narratives and perpetuates an "official silence" surrounding the destructive aspects of nationalist sentiments.

The second edition of Israel, Diaspora, and the Routes of National Belonging includes a new introduction by the author that builds on her groundbreaking research and reflects on the changes to scholarship since the book’s publication in 2004. Additionally, by exploring the dramatic changes to the region’s politics, Habib ensures that the startlingly honest, theoretically rich, and detailed analysis of her original work continues to be of relevance over a decade later.