The Hundred Years' War on Palestine
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Description
In 1899, Yusuf Diya al-Khalidi, mayor of Jerusalem, alarmed by the Zionist call to create a Jewish national home in Palestine, wrote a letter aimed at Theodore Herzl: the country had an indigenous people who would not easily accept their own displacement. He warned of the perils ahead, ending his note, "in the name of God, let Palestine be left alone." Thus Rashid Khalidi, al-Khalidi's great-great-nephew, begins this sweeping history, the first general account of the conflict told from an explicitly Palestinian perspective.
Drawing on a wealth of untapped archival materials and the reports of generations of family members-mayors, judges, scholars, diplomats, and journalists-The Hundred Years' War on Palestine upends accepted interpretations of the conflict, which tend, at best, to describe a tragic clash between two peoples with claims to the same territory. Instead, Khalidi traces a hundred years of colonial war on the Palestinians, waged first by the Zionist movement and then Israel, but backed by Britain and the United States, the great powers of the age. He highlights the key episodes in this colonial campaign, from the 1917 Balfour Declaration to the destruction of Palestine in 1948, from Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon to the endless and futile peace process.
Original, authoritative, and important, The Hundred Years' War on Palestine is not a chronicle of victimization, nor does it whitewash the mistakes of Palestinian leaders or deny the emergence of national movements on both sides. In reevaluating the forces arrayed against the Palestinians, it offers an illuminating new view of a conflict that continues to this day.
Book Information
Posts
This book delivers a much needed Palestinian perspective on the Palestinian cause.
It’s a very detailed analysis on the six major wars between Israel and Palestine between 1917 and 2017. Maybe with too many details, because I honestly can’t remember everything I read. Also the author seems to try to be as unbiased as he can, which reflects in the critique of Palestinian leaders and movements, as well as the critique in settler colonialism and its ramifications. All in all a big recommendation, but there is more to be read on this topic I believe.
A must read for anyone, regardless of whether you already deem yourself knowledgeable on the issue of Palestine or not. Khalidi manages to convey a factual reproduction of events while enriching it with personal stories and hindsight. Even though the author is of Palestinian lineage, he assesses shortcomings and crimes on both sides, drawing objective conclusions, as attested by many experts.
This book offers a comprehensive look at the Palestinian struggle against colonialism over the last hundred years. From my perspective as a Palestinian, it reads like a detailed historical summary. The author incorporates personal anecdotes about his family's role, adding a unique perspective to historical events, though at times this may seem exaggerated. The book is especially suitable for Western readers who are new to this subject. It presents complex historical issues in an understandable way. The author maintains a tone of cautious optimism throughout, even when addressing the more challenging aspects of Palestinian history. The book concludes with a discussion about the influence of global powers in the Middle East and explores possible future scenarios, such as how the democratization of Arab nations might affect Israel's global standing.
Description
In 1899, Yusuf Diya al-Khalidi, mayor of Jerusalem, alarmed by the Zionist call to create a Jewish national home in Palestine, wrote a letter aimed at Theodore Herzl: the country had an indigenous people who would not easily accept their own displacement. He warned of the perils ahead, ending his note, "in the name of God, let Palestine be left alone." Thus Rashid Khalidi, al-Khalidi's great-great-nephew, begins this sweeping history, the first general account of the conflict told from an explicitly Palestinian perspective.
Drawing on a wealth of untapped archival materials and the reports of generations of family members-mayors, judges, scholars, diplomats, and journalists-The Hundred Years' War on Palestine upends accepted interpretations of the conflict, which tend, at best, to describe a tragic clash between two peoples with claims to the same territory. Instead, Khalidi traces a hundred years of colonial war on the Palestinians, waged first by the Zionist movement and then Israel, but backed by Britain and the United States, the great powers of the age. He highlights the key episodes in this colonial campaign, from the 1917 Balfour Declaration to the destruction of Palestine in 1948, from Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon to the endless and futile peace process.
Original, authoritative, and important, The Hundred Years' War on Palestine is not a chronicle of victimization, nor does it whitewash the mistakes of Palestinian leaders or deny the emergence of national movements on both sides. In reevaluating the forces arrayed against the Palestinians, it offers an illuminating new view of a conflict that continues to this day.
Book Information
Posts
This book delivers a much needed Palestinian perspective on the Palestinian cause.
It’s a very detailed analysis on the six major wars between Israel and Palestine between 1917 and 2017. Maybe with too many details, because I honestly can’t remember everything I read. Also the author seems to try to be as unbiased as he can, which reflects in the critique of Palestinian leaders and movements, as well as the critique in settler colonialism and its ramifications. All in all a big recommendation, but there is more to be read on this topic I believe.
A must read for anyone, regardless of whether you already deem yourself knowledgeable on the issue of Palestine or not. Khalidi manages to convey a factual reproduction of events while enriching it with personal stories and hindsight. Even though the author is of Palestinian lineage, he assesses shortcomings and crimes on both sides, drawing objective conclusions, as attested by many experts.
This book offers a comprehensive look at the Palestinian struggle against colonialism over the last hundred years. From my perspective as a Palestinian, it reads like a detailed historical summary. The author incorporates personal anecdotes about his family's role, adding a unique perspective to historical events, though at times this may seem exaggerated. The book is especially suitable for Western readers who are new to this subject. It presents complex historical issues in an understandable way. The author maintains a tone of cautious optimism throughout, even when addressing the more challenging aspects of Palestinian history. The book concludes with a discussion about the influence of global powers in the Middle East and explores possible future scenarios, such as how the democratization of Arab nations might affect Israel's global standing.