The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017
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- Author：Rashid Khalidi
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Summary
A landmark history of one hundred years of war waged against the Palestinians from the foremost US historian of the Middle East， told through pivotal events and family history
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。
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。
Reviews
Gilberto
，
It’s surprising how little many people， including myself， know about Palestine and their national struggle。 This book reads more like a tragedy than a history。 Although it is easy to feel hopeless after reading all the defeats inflicted upon the movement， Khalidi refrained from engaging in a purely pessimistic portrayal of the struggle。 I think this work is a great， personal， primer of the main events in the Palestinian struggle for self-determination in the 20th and 21st centuries。
YRivera
，
A different point of vies of the conflict in this area。 Although a little hard to read。Overall a good historical book
I。 David
，
Creation of the State of Israel – The Palestinian Point of View Please visit I。 David’s blog at: https://www。goodreads。com/author/show。。。I have read several books that describe the Israeli viewpoint of the creation of the State of Israel。 However， this issue cannot be fully understood without also reading the Palestinian viewpoint。 The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance， 1917-2017， by Rashid Khalidi， is a compelling description of that viewpoint。Khal Creation of the State of Israel – The Palestinian Point of View Please visit I。 David’s blog at: https://www。goodreads。com/author/show。。。I have read several books that describe the Israeli viewpoint of the creation of the State of Israel。 However， this issue cannot be fully understood without also reading the Palestinian viewpoint。 The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance， 1917-2017， by Rashid Khalidi， is a compelling description of that viewpoint。Khalidi currently serves as the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University。 He has a very personal connection with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as he and his family members – mayors， judges， scholars， diplomats and journalists - have been living though the West’s encroachment into Palestine since the late 19th century。 In The Hundred Years’ War Khalidi provides a deeply researched and well-written description of the military actions by Britain， and then Israel， that have resulted in the current status of the Palestinians。 He describes the Palestinian efforts to try to change their current status through their own military efforts。 But， he asserts that they are not likely to achieve any of their goals through such efforts。 Instead， he contends that the Palestinians need to do a better job explaining their history， their rights and their goals to the rest of the world。 Only by winning this public relations campaign will the Palestinians be able to convince other world powers to apply pressure on Israel to agree to any concessions。I give this book 5 stars and recommend it for anyone who wants to understand the Palestinians’ viewpoint of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict。 。。。more
Alex Hill
，
Brilliant。 Great framing of the modern history of Palestine through the wars brought on by the Zionist project。
Daniel Porcel
，
This is an essential read to understand the predicament of the Palestinian people！
Nikki M
，
the comprehensive history of palestinian nationhood， the zionist settler project。 necessary reading if you wanna start to understand this conflict。
Lyn
，
The author manages to cover an enormous amount of ground thoroughly， but succinctly。 It's erudite without being a slog to read as some non-fiction historical/political books can be。 I'll be reading more from Rashid Khaladi。 The author manages to cover an enormous amount of ground thoroughly， but succinctly。 It's erudite without being a slog to read as some non-fiction historical/political books can be。 I'll be reading more from Rashid Khaladi。 。。。more
Cecilia
，
I recommend reading this。 It’s quite a plodding journey for me to read this。 No matter how much I try， history books still bore me。 But I did read it！ I find this to be an important read， and definitely worth the effort。 As an American I learned a lot。
Gadi
，
There is a lot of truth here， but also a lot of strategic omission， to an extent that even I — not a professional historian — felt was deliberate and wrong。 I was hoping Khalidi would bring out a new perspective， a way to understand the conflict and the Palestinian view that would be more productive， but instead this felt — in tone， and in the selection of events — like propaganda。 I listened to the book， and noted all of my skepticism about his reporting of history: Why did Palestinian Arabs no There is a lot of truth here， but also a lot of strategic omission， to an extent that even I — not a professional historian — felt was deliberate and wrong。 I was hoping Khalidi would bring out a new perspective， a way to understand the conflict and the Palestinian view that would be more productive， but instead this felt — in tone， and in the selection of events — like propaganda。 I listened to the book， and noted all of my skepticism about his reporting of history: Why did Palestinian Arabs not support the Peel commission at all， or offer a cogent counteroffer， either then or in 1947？ Khalidi doesn't engage with those proposals in detail; he doesn't confront the Arab belief at the time that Jews had no place in Palestine — a refusal to engage with the Zionist idea that Jews had nowhere to go and that， in hindsight， Palestine was the only solution for them。 What would he have done， if he were a Jew in the 1930s？ Is asking him to consider this question too much？ Khalidi has nothing but criticism for Abdullah in Jordan， for stifling Palestinian nationalism — though he was one of the only Arab leaders to give them full citizenship after 1948。 Why was there no discussion of how they are fully naturalized citizens of Jordan？ Does Khalidi wish for refugees to be denied absorption into their new countries？ He mentions Abu Iyad — as an important Palestinian leader， later assassinated — and discusses him admiringly， without mentioning at all that he masterminded the Munich Massacre。 Did he ever express regret for helping plan the murder of Israeli athletes？ And why would Khalidi completely fail to mention that about Abu Iyad？ Why would Khalidi fail to mention the Munich Massacre in the book at all？ That seems to have been a central moment in the Palestinian story， an instance in which the Palestinian cause commanded global attention， and perhaps a major backwards step in their struggle — completely ignored by Khalidi。 Is this because he intended for this book to target Western audiences that would not sympathize with the strategies of the Palestinian movement？The failure of the Oslo accords， the Camp David negotiations in 2000 — no mention of the sticking point of refugee return， or of the Clinton Parameters for peace that Barak accepted but Arafat did not？ No mention of the 2008 negotiations， in which Olmert drew up an offer on a napkin that Abbas left on the table？ Sure， all these negotiations were flawed， the offer may not have been attractive to Palestinians， or the Palestinian leaders may not have felt that they had the popular mandate to accept them （a different problem altogether） — but there was scant or no mention of these discussions in this book。 How can Khalidi claim to disagree with the Zionist thesis of Palestinian rejectionism without addressing the most recent and salient points of data that support it？ Khalidi very heavily criticizes the Oslo process and its facade of peace， which he claims concealed the continued entrenchment of Israeli occupation — but he doesn't cite the horrible suicide bombings during this period that cooled the Israeli public's desire for peace。 He only brings up the terrorist attacks during the Second Intifada section， and even then more as a strategic failure for the Palestinian movement。 When discussing the start of the Second Intifada， he mentions the tunnel built under the Temple Mount but doesn’t explain its archeological purpose or the defamatory propaganda that inflamed Palestinians' hysteria about it， and about Sharon's ascent to the Temple Mount。 He mentions the Israeli bulldozing of the neighborhood adjacent to the Western Wall — which， yes， was awful — but he never mention Jordanian and Palestinian destruction and desecration of the Jewish quarter after 1947。 And the most aggravating thing for me， personally， was his language around terrorist attacks: Suicide bombings “followed” other events， "were carried out" by Hamas， etc。 — were they not heavily supported by the Palestinian public at the time？ Who carried them out？ And does he not see that Israelis' response to these attacks would be utter unwillingness of any rapprochement with Palestinians？ Anyway。 Those were my thoughts as I was reading， and on the whole I agree with the prism that Khalidi uses to view this conflict: It is at heart a settler conflict vs。 native encounter， and Israel is mostly in the wrong， seeing as it has the upper hand in nearly every way。 But the book proved to be a wholly minor addition to my understanding of the conflict — saying nothing new， sticking by the Palestinian narrative， while also calculatingly omitting events that could lead a Western audience to lose sympathy for the Palestinian cause。 。。。more
J Crist
，
I like to read books from many different perspectives。 This book is an extremely compelling history from the Palestinian side of the Israel/Palestine conflict。
Steve Ward
，
This is a well written and informative book that I'm glad I read。 The author tells the history of Palestine through the eyes of a Palestinian and therefore you know he has a lot at stake to tell the truth。 If he fabricated portions of the history then people would discredit him and Palestinians in general once they found out he mislead them。 I learned so much that I had never heard from the US media or even our government about our complicity in regards to coming to a solution over who gets to l This is a well written and informative book that I'm glad I read。 The author tells the history of Palestine through the eyes of a Palestinian and therefore you know he has a lot at stake to tell the truth。 If he fabricated portions of the history then people would discredit him and Palestinians in general once they found out he mislead them。 I learned so much that I had never heard from the US media or even our government about our complicity in regards to coming to a solution over who gets to live on this land。 Without a doubt it is and has been a complicated situation for a long time。 At least this book offers a view that a different approach might yield different results from the past 70 years。 I'd recommend this book to any adult reader interested in having their eyes opened to the continuing tragedy in Palestine。 。。。more
Meepspeeps
，
This is a well-written history from the Palestinian perspective。 He critiques Israeli， USA， and Palestinian policies and actions。 His main premise is that a fiction or myth prevails that Israel faces constant， existential peril， which justifies blanket support of their policies， no matter how extreme。 He outlines where the United Nations has broken its own policies about self-determination， war crimes， and failed to enforce its own resolutions on behalf of Palestinians。 He also explains several This is a well-written history from the Palestinian perspective。 He critiques Israeli， USA， and Palestinian policies and actions。 His main premise is that a fiction or myth prevails that Israel faces constant， existential peril， which justifies blanket support of their policies， no matter how extreme。 He outlines where the United Nations has broken its own policies about self-determination， war crimes， and failed to enforce its own resolutions on behalf of Palestinians。 He also explains several significant shortcomings of Palestinian leadership over the years。 I recommend it to those who want perhaps a different perspective than most USA narratives about this long conflict。 。。。more
Michael
，
Excellent book。 It's comprehensive， readable， well-researched， and current。 Each chapter focuses on a major event or time period in the history of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict to argue that Palestinians have--and continue to be--the victims of a hundred years of settler colonial warfare against them。 Two things that set this book apart from other histories I've read are （1） the personal dimension Khalidi is able to offer not only as a Palestinian but as someone with first-hand experience in Excellent book。 It's comprehensive， readable， well-researched， and current。 Each chapter focuses on a major event or time period in the history of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict to argue that Palestinians have--and continue to be--the victims of a hundred years of settler colonial warfare against them。 Two things that set this book apart from other histories I've read are （1） the personal dimension Khalidi is able to offer not only as a Palestinian but as someone with first-hand experience in Palestinian politics and （2） a "rigorous， introspective self-criticism of Arab weaknesses and failures" which he takes from historian and intellectual Constantine Zureiq as indispensable for charting the best path forward for Palestinian action。 INTROprovides the academic and personal background for the books main thesis: that the modern Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be understood as a colonial war against an indigenous Palestinian population。 While Khalidi employs plenty of scholarly sources to make his argument， what sets this book apart is the personal element which is expressed in the introduction through the account of his great-great-great uncle Yusuf Diya， an Islamic scholar。 Through Diya's correspondences with Herzl and Khalidi's academic sources， a picture is presented of the early zionist project as a clearly settler colonial one。 Whether that colonial aspiration was expressed discreetly （as in Herzl's memoir entries regarding "spiriting the penniless population across the border） or explicitly （as in Jabotinsky's declaration of zionist colonialism）。CH1This chapter covers the "first declaration of war" on Palestine embodied by Britain's sponsoring of the Zionist project beginning with the 1917 Balfour Declaration。Khalidi looks at a changing Palestine at the turn of the 20th century。 Its modernizing national infrastructure （education， transportation， and the press） as it integrates into the world market bringing with it an ascendant bourgeois class against the backdrop of a declining Ottoman Empire。Concurrent with these developments was the growing threat to self-determination posed by the settler colonial Zionist movement and its European backers。 Khalidi draws on memoirs， press reports， and oral history to show that the Palestinian national identity was formed alongside of and in response to the burgeoning Zionist movement。Some of the key historical moments covered in this chapter include: demographic shifts due to Jewish immigration and land purchases， the 1922 Mandate which established Britain as the colonial power in the region， Britains support for a parallel Jewish administration with representative authority and control over public works （things the Arab population was denied）， growing tensions resulting in a 1936 general strike， The Peel Commission's partition plan ceding 17% of the land to the Jewish population （and the expulsion of Arabs therein） while handing the rest over to Transjordanian control， the Great Revolt of 1937-1939， and， finally， Britains brutal repression of Palestinian fighters and activists。The chapter ends with Chamberlain's 1939 conciliatory white paper to appease Arabs as it prepared for WWII （the commitments never being carried out on Britain's part， of course）。Ch。2This chapter， focusing on the 1947-49 Nakba， begins with an anecdote recounting the author's father （Ismail al-Khalidi） delivering an official message from the Arab Higher Committee to King Abdullah of Transjordan to the effect that "were the Palestinians to succeed in escaping the British yoke， they did not want to come under that of Jordan。 They aspired to control their own fate。" Therefore， the AHC would not accept the King's offer of "guardianship" or "protection。" The delivery of this message coincided with the UN vote on Resolution 181 in favor of partitioning Mandatory Palestine。This anecdote speaks to three themes important to this chapter。 1。 Palestinians' uncompromising desire for full self-determination 2。 King Abdullah's desire for westward territorial expansion and 3。 Palestinians' lack of state apparatuses in the run up to war （Ismail's role as messenger here was ad hoc as his real reason for meeting with the King concerned unrelated academic matters connected to the Arab-American Institute， not as an official diplomatic liaison which the AHC simply didnt have）。 This 3rd point is one of many factors that explains the Arab defeat by the organized， militant， higly prepared Israeli forces。It's this combination of the personal and historical that sets this book apart from other histories of the conflict I've read。This chapter also details the shifting global power structure in which the old colonial powers were replaced by the US and USSR as the major imperialist forces in the Middle East after WWII。 A situation shrewdly foreseen by Israeli leadership。 Khalidi emphasizes the internal division， ineffective leadership， and disorganized institutions （the AHC， ANF， Arab Office， etc。） on the Palestinian side as contrasted to the organized， sophisticated， well-funded and well connected Jewish para-state throughout the 30s and 40s。 The outbreak of violence as Britain ceded control of Mandatory Palestine to the UN in '47 resulted in decisive military victories for the Israelis and， ultimately， the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians。Continued colonial control over the Arab League， particularly in foreign affairs， further hamstrung efforts to resist Israeli conquest。 When the dust settled in the summer of 1949， Israel declared statehood and sovereignty of 80% of historical Palestine， over 700，000 Palestinians were displaced， Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip while King Abdullah fulfilled his territorial ambitioins by claiming the West Bank as part of Jordan。The chapter concludes by discussing Palestinian Fedayeen activity in the early 50s， Israel's disproportionate reprisals， the resulting outbreak of the 1956 Suez War， and the tripartite alliance of Israel， Britain， France yielding to USSR/US demands to end the conflict further cementing the latter as the dominant regional actors。Ch 3The Third Declaration of War is the 1967 Six Day War and its aftermath。 Khalidi begins by dismissing the myth of a vulnerable Israel beset on all sides by its hostile Arab neighbors seeking its destruction。 A popular propaganda line that was used to justify Israel's first strike against Egypt， Syria， and Jordan。 First off， it was apparent to US intelligence that an "attack was not immanent" and， secondly， if war did break out Israel would "whip the hell out of them" （in President Johnson 's words）。 The factors leading up to the war included Arab popular distress at Israel's diversion of Jordan River waters to its territory， Fatah harassment （mostly symbolic actions of sabotage）， Israeli threats and attacks on Syrian targets， and the needlessly provocative saber rattling of Egypt moving troops into the Sinai ultimately giving Israel the causus belli to initiate its pre-emptive attack。The main ideas of this chapter revolve around the changing power alignments and evolving terms of the Palestinian debate following the war。 To the first point: while the Truman， Eisenhower， and even Kennedy administrations occasionally pushed back against Israeli overreach （see Eisenhower and the Suez Crisis）， the Johnson administration and his pro-zionist circle of friends and advisors like Fortas， Goldberg， and Clifford proved utterly supportive of Israel in essentially all respects。Furthermore， new militant activism sprung up in the 60s like the Movement of Arab Nationalists， the Marxist PFLP， Fatah， and the PLO which had been originally intended by the Arab League to coopt rejuvenated Palestinian nationalist fervor but soon lost control of the organization after '67。The political alignments of the Arab League itself was also changing as with the Carter Admin's success in prying Egypt away from Palestine and into the Israel/US fold culminating in the bilateral Camp David treaty of '79。On the point regarding the discurssive side of the issue， the main takeaway is that Palestinians managed to re-insert themselves into the discussion as political agents and a cultural force。 Khalidi documents the cultural renaissance that flowered throughout the 60s and 70s with the writings of Kanafi， Darwish， Zayyad， and others。 The assertion of a strong Palestinian identity and its expression on the world stage （Edward Said being an immensly important figure in that） countered the Zionist falsegoods that the Palestinians simply didnt exist。 This isn't an exaggeration。。。in 1969 Prime Minister Golda Meir once claimed "there were no such thing as Palestinians。。。they did not exist"。Finally， this Palestinian movement gave itself a voice through the PLO which managed to set up channels of communication （much to Israel's frustration） with world powers including the US。 This laid the groundwork for their participation in international politics when before they were sidelined as an incidental piece of state-to-state conflicts over territorial boundaries。The chapter ends on the Lebanese civil war， the PLO's role， and the various motives/interests/players involved。 All of which is too complicated for me to cover in this review。。。or even understand tbh。Ch 4Thr 4th Declaration of War is the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon--a country already years into its civil war--aimed at dislodging the PLO from the country。 The plan was to knock out PLO operations in Israel's northern neighbor， destroy the Palestinian national movement， and use the opportunity to consolidate control over and eventually annex occupied territory。Because Khalidi and his family lived in Beirut at the time， he is able to add a personal perspective and human dimension that gets lost in other histories of the conflict I've read。 Especially moving were his reflections on the Sabra and Shatila massacres carried out by the Philangist militias avenging assassinated president-elect Bashir Gamayel with full complicity of the IDF。 The ominous scenes of military flares silently floating "over the southern reaches of Beruit" reminded me of the animated documentary Waltz With Bashir which Khalidi references。 The IDF used the flairs to illuminate the refugee camps so the Philangist militiamen could effectively carry out its two day slaughter of over 1300 Palestinians。Khalidi details the duplicity employed by Begin， Sharon and others--detailed in the Israeli Kahan Commission reports--to nullify meaningful safeguards for civilians during the PLO's evacuation demanded by Palestinian negotiators， French diplomatic interlocutors， and promised by American officials。 The picture Khalidi presents is one of concentric "circles of responsibility" from the innermost architects of the war （Begin and Sharon） to the American officials tacitly supplying diplomatic and propaganda support。The upshot of the war， however， was not the annihilation of the Palistinian national movement Israel hoped for but rather an intensification of the civil war， the rise of Hezbollah， and the relocation of the movement back into Palestine itself where it soon developed into the First Intifada。Ch。 5The Fifth Declaration of War spans the period between the First Intafada in 1987 to the Oslo II accords in ’95。 During this period， the Israeli army carried out brutal repressions against the Palestinian uprisings and secured a legal codification of the status quo through the Oslo framework which Khalidi argues was a major defeat for the Palestinian national cause。 The authors details how simmering tensions erupted in the largely non-violent wave of uprisings beginning in Dec。 1987， the excessive Israeli response， the global public’s response， and the response of the PLO to the Intifada—which was to renounce terrorism， recognize Israel’s “right to exist” and support of a two-state settlement based on Resolutions 242 and 338 thus marking a major strategic shift toward diplomatic resolution。Khalidi is particularly critical of the PLO in this chapter， not for adopting non-violent tactics which he sees as a more effective path forward， but for a number of blunders that caused long-term harm to the movement for Palestine。 The first was Arafat’s support of Iraq in the first gulf war and the second was accepting the Oslo framework which essentially outsourced the responsibility for enforcing the Palestinian’s colonial status to the Palestinians themselves。 Khalidi， having been part of the advisory team to the Palestinian delegation at Madrid and both Oslo conferences， provides important insider perspectives on the diplomatic front。 This is especially useful in his evaluation of the possible alternatives， the different actors （Dennis Ross and Martin Indyk in particular come under well-deserved heavy fire）， and outcomes of the peace process。 Ch。 6The final （sixth） declaration of war consists in the continued colonial occupation of the West Bank and Gaza well after “final status” settlements were supposed to be adopted according to the Oslo accords， including the 3 massive attacks on the Gaza Strip during operations Cast Lead， Pillar of Defense， and Protective Edge。 Topics also include the Camp David conference， the rise of Hamas， the politics of the Palestinian Authority， and the failures of the Obama administration to produce any substantive change。 。。。more
Forrest Cyr
，
An important and uncompromising look at an intractable conflict of colonial roots。 Highly recommended。
Nutthapol Limsombatanan
，
Great ReadThis is a significant book laying out the modern history of how the Palestinians have been dominated by world powers， and yet continue the struggle for existence。 Highly recommended！
Larry
，
This was an unusually good book on a number of levels。 First， it was amazingly thorough given how short it is。 It could very easily have been a multi-volume effort， but the author gave a narrative structure to those who already knew the basics， and provided enough detail for those previously poorly informed to find their way to more depth elsewhere。 Secondly， the author inserts several personal anecdotes directly tied into the information discussed， but without turning the points made into a per This was an unusually good book on a number of levels。 First， it was amazingly thorough given how short it is。 It could very easily have been a multi-volume effort， but the author gave a narrative structure to those who already knew the basics， and provided enough detail for those previously poorly informed to find their way to more depth elsewhere。 Secondly， the author inserts several personal anecdotes directly tied into the information discussed， but without turning the points made into a personal response， while still giving credence to the Palestinian perspective。 This brings me to a related point: The author is never shy to point out how the Palestinians have contributed to their own obstacles in achieving what any peoples would want for themselves。 Certainly， the author points out "bad deeds" by what most Americans would assume would be "good people" concerning the "Palestinian problem，" but the author struck me as very much a realist searching for honest analysis。 Sadly， he seems to see little light at the end of the tunnel。 I might add that the book breaks down the Palestinian struggle into several periods of what I will just call very hard times。 Previous， to this book， I had already read what would be just one section of what is covered in this one。 That， along with multiple other sources， provided me with enough data and analysis to take what this author says very seriously。 I find it sad that most Americans will not have a clue of most of what is mentioned in this book， because， well， the PR by the opposition has been so good as to not make it worth most people's effort to try to know。 Recommended。 。。。more
Acire
，
Living in the US， you typically hear a one sided narrative regarding the Isreali-Palestinian conflict。 That narrative is predominantly pro-Israel， ignoring much of Palestinians point of view and history （especially by US media outlets）。A concise， thorough， and informative read。 The author did a great job incorporating not only his personal recollections/experiences， but also his connections to organizations and leaders while highlighting key historical events。 Highly recommend this book to anyon Living in the US， you typically hear a one sided narrative regarding the Isreali-Palestinian conflict。 That narrative is predominantly pro-Israel， ignoring much of Palestinians point of view and history （especially by US media outlets）。A concise， thorough， and informative read。 The author did a great job incorporating not only his personal recollections/experiences， but also his connections to organizations and leaders while highlighting key historical events。 Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the conflict and wanting to learn more。 Note: There is a lot to unpack。 I found myself looking deeper into specific events/organizations as I read。 。。。more
John
，
Essential in beginning to understand the current situation in the middle east。
Eddie Clarke
，
A good overview and introduction to the history of the Israeli/Palestinian question， from a Palestinian point of view。 He regards the entire Zionist project as a colonial enterprise， fostered first by the British and then， post WWII， by the USA。 The author is very critical of the various Palestinian organisations’ failures over the years。 His conclusions are pretty depressing， although he feels that the USA’s hegemony over the region is slipping and this may create conditions for change and a pe A good overview and introduction to the history of the Israeli/Palestinian question， from a Palestinian point of view。 He regards the entire Zionist project as a colonial enterprise， fostered first by the British and then， post WWII， by the USA。 The author is very critical of the various Palestinian organisations’ failures over the years。 His conclusions are pretty depressing， although he feels that the USA’s hegemony over the region is slipping and this may create conditions for change and a peaceful solution in the future。 。。。more
John
，
Rashid Khalidi's "The Hundred Years' War on Palestine" offers a great overview to the last hundred years of Levantine history。 This is quite an accomplishment， especially at the shorter page length， as there is a lot to cover。 While This book does not cover everything it does a good job addressing many of the major events from the fall of the Ottoman Empire to our current Trump Administration climate。As someone who has read other books on this subject some of the subject matter was a review for Rashid Khalidi's "The Hundred Years' War on Palestine" offers a great overview to the last hundred years of Levantine history。 This is quite an accomplishment， especially at the shorter page length， as there is a lot to cover。 While This book does not cover everything it does a good job addressing many of the major events from the fall of the Ottoman Empire to our current Trump Administration climate。As someone who has read other books on this subject some of the subject matter was a review for me but I haven't read a book as contemporary as this。 This lead to my engagement in the later chapters to be stronger than those earlier on。 Some of the greatest takeaways for me were the consistent disadvantage Palestinians have been at throughout the last 100 years and just how rapidly the situation has intensified just in my lifetime。 Khalidi does a good job of explaining the major conflicts that have happened since 1917 and the climate that they arose from。 What is unique about this book is the fact that Khalidi offers his personal perspective and the perspective of his ancestors during each of these events。 The Khalidi family served in many leadership and public service roles in the history of Jerusalem and Palestine and this offers insight into situations that very few other authors could offer。If you are someone who is new to learning about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict I would recommend this book as it is the most concise and comprehensive I have read so far。 That being said， someone who has already been introduced to the subject matter would still find some new and informative revelations from this book。 。。。more
Brian
，
This reminded me of Jakarta Method。 A deeply human yet academic and critical look at Palestine and their oppression and resistance。 While very critical of Palestinian leadership， Khalidi is still offering a distinctly Palestinian perspective on this story， which is not something I'd gotten before。 In the book and elsewhere， it is mentioned that Khalidi was used as a smear against Obama in 08， as they were colleagues and friends。 Obama didn't even bother defending his friend， which is exactly wha This reminded me of Jakarta Method。 A deeply human yet academic and critical look at Palestine and their oppression and resistance。 While very critical of Palestinian leadership， Khalidi is still offering a distinctly Palestinian perspective on this story， which is not something I'd gotten before。 In the book and elsewhere， it is mentioned that Khalidi was used as a smear against Obama in 08， as they were colleagues and friends。 Obama didn't even bother defending his friend， which is exactly what he did to Palestine when he got into office and ignored Israel's most violent siege against Palestine in the 100 year history of this conflict。 I find it interesting that McCain called Khalidi a terrorist， and that Obama didn't defend him， because Khalidi represents a pretty moderate perspective on Palestine。 He's critical of violence against civilians， denounces antisemitism， and writes beautifully about Israelis' connection to Palestine， as most were now born there。 If there's ever going to be peace， his view should be the starting point for discussion。 This does not seem likely while the far right have captured israeli politics and have helped create a deeply racist society。 I highly recommend reading this for a critical and accurate， while also beautifully written story of Palestine。 。。。more
Nour
，
If you’ve never read anything on Palestine， the history of the colonial conquest， and current developments， this is the book for you。 Truly excellent， but surprises there considering it’s Rashid Khalidi。
نادية كامل
，
ground breaking view daring and corageous rich and resourcefullacks in social dimension more of political scientist kaleidoscope
Eli Kaufman
，
This an extremely thorough and concise history of the ongoing colonisation of Palestine。 I would highly recommend it to all readers， as it is simultaneously accessible to newcomers and enlightening for those more familiar with the subject。At first I was a bit skeptical of Khalidi's focus on his own family （one of the most important families of mandate era Palestine）， thinking that this was going to be a navel-gazing and horn trumpeting history through the lens of his family ego。 I was happily pr This an extremely thorough and concise history of the ongoing colonisation of Palestine。 I would highly recommend it to all readers， as it is simultaneously accessible to newcomers and enlightening for those more familiar with the subject。At first I was a bit skeptical of Khalidi's focus on his own family （one of the most important families of mandate era Palestine）， thinking that this was going to be a navel-gazing and horn trumpeting history through the lens of his family ego。 I was happily proven wrong and fairly quickly。 His use of his own family history only adds a dimension that is often missing from history books on this subject， especially when written by non-Palestinians and overly reliant on Israeli source material。 His personal connection to the history is littered throughout the book， as he was a negotiator during the 1991 so-called Peace Process and was living in Beirut during the 1982 Israeli invasion 。 Regardless， he is never overly reliant on the personal to tell this story， as the book is replete with sources， both primary and secondary， and across the temporal spectrum。This leads me to another praise of this book: its bibliography。 Not only does this book concisely unravel the complicated knot of history that is the last 100 years of Palestine， but it also leaves us with a library of books， articles and films to go to when the book is done and we are left wanting more depth， more nuance， and more understanding。 We do not desire this because the book is lacking， but rather because this book sets the stage so well for the reader to go deeper。 That is what is invaluable about this book。Overall， I was deeply impressed by Khalidi's ability to somehow tell the story of the ongoing colonisation of Palestine with nuance and depth in only 250 pages （though let's not forget the 50 pages of footnotes， this being my one criticism of the book - why not just make the main text a little longer？）， in an accessible way that doesn't dumb down or oversimplify the complexity of the history， leaving both the new and seasoned with something to write home about。 。。。more
Lubinka Dimitrova
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Once a person starts reading about the Palestine conflict， they can never un-see Israel and USA's stance on this issue。 It is mind-boggling how this matter has been mishandled， misrepresented and ignored for more than a century now。 And one can never go back to seeing Jews as only victims of another mind-boggling genocide。 Truly a heart-wrenching and deeply insightful book。 Once a person starts reading about the Palestine conflict， they can never un-see Israel and USA's stance on this issue。 It is mind-boggling how this matter has been mishandled， misrepresented and ignored for more than a century now。 And one can never go back to seeing Jews as only victims of another mind-boggling genocide。 Truly a heart-wrenching and deeply insightful book。 。。。more
Sandeep Narayanan
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Rashid Khalidi's book on the Jewish settlers conquest of Palestine is a rigorously researched and sober analysis of an occupation。Written in six parts covering various stages of the "war" that has torn the region and caused untold death and devastation over the years。He takes a critical look at the role of Jewish-Israeli policies （policies that have had wholehearted US support after 1967）， but it also lays out the failings of the Palestinian leadership and how it failed the very people who it cl Rashid Khalidi's book on the Jewish settlers conquest of Palestine is a rigorously researched and sober analysis of an occupation。Written in six parts covering various stages of the "war" that has torn the region and caused untold death and devastation over the years。He takes a critical look at the role of Jewish-Israeli policies （policies that have had wholehearted US support after 1967）， but it also lays out the failings of the Palestinian leadership and how it failed the very people who it claimed to represent。Khalidi also has the benefit of being an activist and scion of a leading Palestinian family and one of the world’s foremost scholars of Palestinian history。 His family was also involved in the Palestinian struggle in various capacities。 So there are points in history where his family or him had a ringside view to the politics of it all。Fantastically written， this book is an important read for anyone who wants to understand the nature of the conflict in this region and where things stand as of today。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Daniel Arias
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Excellent book。 Highly recommend it。
Cameron Carr
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Very informative but for those without much background knowledge it can be a bit laborious at times。 Rashid Khalidi provides a generous amount of names that， while I'm sure are useful for further reading and research， became distracting from the primary focus for me。 The events are also often presented out of chronological order as Khalidi jumps ahead and doubles back either to explain related circumstances or to chase down a stream of thought。 This too proved distracting for me personally。 Very informative but for those without much background knowledge it can be a bit laborious at times。 Rashid Khalidi provides a generous amount of names that， while I'm sure are useful for further reading and research， became distracting from the primary focus for me。 The events are also often presented out of chronological order as Khalidi jumps ahead and doubles back either to explain related circumstances or to chase down a stream of thought。 This too proved distracting for me personally。 。。。more
Michael
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In 1984， Rashid Khalidi was part of a group of respected Palestinian academics that tried to persuade Yasser Arafat that the Palestinian movement “needed to take American public opinion into account， and devote to it sufficient resources and energy， but to no avail。” （110-21）If this book is any measure of Khalidi’s ability to address an American audience and get them to understand the history of Palestine and its people， Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization made a grave mistake。 The In 1984， Rashid Khalidi was part of a group of respected Palestinian academics that tried to persuade Yasser Arafat that the Palestinian movement “needed to take American public opinion into account， and devote to it sufficient resources and energy， but to no avail。” （110-21）If this book is any measure of Khalidi’s ability to address an American audience and get them to understand the history of Palestine and its people， Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization made a grave mistake。 The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonial Conquest and Resistance， 1917-2017 is a powerful retelling of the last century in the Middle East。 One of the central themes of Zionist justification of their right to set up a Jewish state in the Holy Land is that there is no such thing as “the Palestinian people。” They described the land they wished to claim in the late 19th century as “a land without a people for a people without land。” In practical terms， this was never true。 Khalidi notes that while Palestinians are frequently abandoned and marginalized， they usually made themselves heard。You owe it to yourself to read this book if your understanding of the conflict in the Middle East is limited to the conventional narrative of this conflict: Where brave little Israel builds a democratic beachhead in the desert， but is only beset by constant attack by Arabs and Iranians。 Where the only people calling themselves “Palestinians” are terrorists planting bombs or firing rockets against peaceful civilians。 Where so-called Palestinians cannot be “partners for peace，” but autocratic monarchs can。 。。。more
Barnabas Olah
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