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kaiyakaiyo's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Extremely informative, disheartening at times, but ultimately an essential read. I knew the US govt was a dirty greedy world-eating snake willing to sell itself for oil and control, but this book taught me just how far presidents, secretaries of state, etc. were willing to go, and how much they are willing to lie to everyone involved to get what they wanted. It’s been evident that “President of the United States” essentially translates to “untried war criminal” in many ways but… Jesus fucking Christ.
Not a single one of those bastards deserves the pot they piss in. Dead or alive, every president since 1917 has either actively assisted in or callously funded from afar Israel’s assault on Palestinians and their land. Full stop, there is no way to extricate US presidents and their cabinets from the blood on their hands and their responsibility for the ongoing conflict. Joe Biden is just another bloodsoaked ninny in a long tradition of them. What a spineless freak
The outright acknowledgement in direct quotes and memoirs of how Britain, the US, and Israel worked together to try & erase Palestinians from the face of the earth made me sick to my stomach. Liars, frauds, cheats, and murderers; a veritable fucking buffet of the worst people on earth
The explanation of Palestinian movements and the battle between ego/leadership politics & the needs of the people was really interesting. as with any liberation story, the big name figures are a mixed bag of failures and successes; their best effort wasn’t always enough to help Palestinians, and sometimes directly harmed them. The author is very frank, but largely unbiased in his indictment of the PLO/PA.
Khalidi was present for many of the events in this book, and does his best to give a full account, without being clinical. He feels, he laments, he indicts, but he gives all the facts he has access to while doing so. I prefer that to commentary devoid of emotion in the pursuit of “logic”, because why should a Palestinian man forced to sit through meetings stripping his kin of their peoplehood, having lived through expulsions, sieges, and bombardments just to be met with willful ignorance from the US and taunting from Israeli officials, be limited to cold, clinical retelling? the man is rightfully fucking frustrated & emotion doesn’t negate the sense of his arguments. his bristling frustration, disappointment, and fear of what is to come for his people teems underneath his words, and paints an even more telling picture of the state of Palestinians throughout the history he lays out. His hope shines through the conclusion of this book; as he lays out what he considers the most logical path towards resolution, you can feel him yearn for the day Palestine is free of Israel’s yoke. You cannot read this book without being moved by the emotions alongside the meticulous historical record.
I am angry but also hungry for more information but also at a loss as to how to help from the inside of a country so deeply committed to sucking Israel off for access to the Middle East. more reading to come as I try to process this in a productive way & stop figuring out how to hit Joe with a bigger shoe
Not a single one of those bastards deserves the pot they piss in. Dead or alive, every president since 1917 has either actively assisted in or callously funded from afar Israel’s assault on Palestinians and their land. Full stop, there is no way to extricate US presidents and their cabinets from the blood on their hands and their responsibility for the ongoing conflict. Joe Biden is just another bloodsoaked ninny in a long tradition of them. What a spineless freak
The outright acknowledgement in direct quotes and memoirs of how Britain, the US, and Israel worked together to try & erase Palestinians from the face of the earth made me sick to my stomach. Liars, frauds, cheats, and murderers; a veritable fucking buffet of the worst people on earth
The explanation of Palestinian movements and the battle between ego/leadership politics & the needs of the people was really interesting. as with any liberation story, the big name figures are a mixed bag of failures and successes; their best effort wasn’t always enough to help Palestinians, and sometimes directly harmed them. The author is very frank, but largely unbiased in his indictment of the PLO/PA.
Khalidi was present for many of the events in this book, and does his best to give a full account, without being clinical. He feels, he laments, he indicts, but he gives all the facts he has access to while doing so. I prefer that to commentary devoid of emotion in the pursuit of “logic”, because why should a Palestinian man forced to sit through meetings stripping his kin of their peoplehood, having lived through expulsions, sieges, and bombardments just to be met with willful ignorance from the US and taunting from Israeli officials, be limited to cold, clinical retelling? the man is rightfully fucking frustrated & emotion doesn’t negate the sense of his arguments. his bristling frustration, disappointment, and fear of what is to come for his people teems underneath his words, and paints an even more telling picture of the state of Palestinians throughout the history he lays out. His hope shines through the conclusion of this book; as he lays out what he considers the most logical path towards resolution, you can feel him yearn for the day Palestine is free of Israel’s yoke. You cannot read this book without being moved by the emotions alongside the meticulous historical record.
I am angry but also hungry for more information but also at a loss as to how to help from the inside of a country so deeply committed to sucking Israel off for access to the Middle East. more reading to come as I try to process this in a productive way & stop figuring out how to hit Joe with a bigger shoe
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Gun violence and Xenophobia
sydapel's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
So glad I could make this my final book of 2023. I'm not saying that you need context or history to feel strongly about what's happening in Gaza right now, but the framework of how we've arrived at this deeply tragic moment is shown in excellent detail in this book. I admit that I was lost in many chapters (there's a lot of names and places that I couldn't keep straight), but I came away from it with more of a background on Palestine, it's people and their resistance to the Israeli occupation. I also want to briefly state that the author has done a very good job of noting the missteps that Palestinian leadership has taken since 1948, both as a result of their own ignorance and of their oppression.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Colonisation, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Deportation, Genocide, War, and Religious bigotry
zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
A bit dry, but very important information. I like how the author included his own experiences and family history in the narrative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Hate crime, Racism, Torture, Confinement, Classism, Xenophobia, Death, Murder, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Violence, Genocide, Police brutality, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Child death, Deportation, Grief, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Death of parent
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
an incredibly important book, especially right now. this gave a comprehensive look into the history of Palestine, most of which i wasn’t incredibly familiar with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Colonisation, Murder, Child death, Classism, Death, Grief, and Violence
krispyyk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Great introduction to the history of Palestinian resistance with an emphasis on global engagement, policy, and media coverage. Mostly read like a history book, but the addition of direct experiences recounted by the author helped demonstrate the actual effects of policy and politics. I particularly appreciated the dialogue on the influence that US citizens have, it gives me hope that better days are coming for Palestinians with this new wave of American media attention
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, War, Violence, Hate crime, Police brutality, Genocide, Death, Colonisation, and Murder
Moderate: Child death and Religious bigotry
onlyonebookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Genocide, and Violence
blakeandbooks's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Genocide, Torture, Murder, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, and Death
lizziaha's review against another edition
4.25
Essential reading!!! This was really my first foray into learning about the history of Palestine, and I think the onslaught of information made it hard for me to stay engaged at times. I might revisit once I’m more familiar with the subject matter. From the river to the sea 🇵🇸
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Deportation, Islamophobia, Murder, Religious bigotry, War, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Suicide, and Grief
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