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4.51 AVERAGE
4.51 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Violence, War
The Hundred Years War on Palestine is essential reading for anyone wanting to get a firm grip on the origins and history of the Zionist colonisation and occupation of Palestine, even if some of the analysis and conclusions fall into dead end liberal idealism.
The book is chronologically divided into six chapters, each recounting a phase (declaration of war) of the colonisation of Palestine. This approach organised the history into digestible chunks without dumbing it down, proving that this conflict is not too complex for most people to understand. The writing is accessible and not academic.
Khalidi provides a brief history of the origins of Zionism, showing categorically that it is an ideology of racial supremacy and colonisation. Israeli crimes are meticulously researched and laid bare, the myths that Israel uses to cover up, excuse, or justify itself are thoroughly debunked.
The value of the book lies not just in a much needed recording of the brutal Zionist colonisation and western complicity, but also of the resistance. Centering the resistance of the Palestinian people as the driving force of history, thus countering the western narrative of the conflict being an intractable, never ending religious war, or an inter state conflict, erasing Palestinians and obscuring the colonial nature of Israel.
Even though Palestinian resistance is centered in the narrative, it isn’t passed over without criticism. Khalidi provides a scathing critique of Palestinian leadership and the various tactics of the PLO and Hamas, sometimes to a fault. Khalidi is clearly a strong opponent of armed resistance, preferring a peaceful, PR driven strategy as the key to Palestinian liberation.
The armed resistance is usually framed as a disaster that led to a worsening of the conditions of Palestinians, so much so that it verges dangerously close to victim blaming. Needless to say the largely peaceful resistance and civil disobedience of the first infitada, which Khalidi effusively praises, is not then blamed for the subsequently disastrous Oslo agreement, which it should be if we are to follow Khalidi’s logic.
Khalidi rightfully deconstructs Oslo as a sham, but bizarrely claims it could have been fruitful had Palestine had better lawyers at hand and a slick PR campaign that put their case to the west and the Israeli public. The same Israeli public who are now almost unanimous in their support for a genocide on Palestinians.
The futility of armed resistance is presented against the backdrop of a supposedly rock solid Israeli state. Khalidi overestimates the staying power of Israel as a national identity. Drawing favourable comparisons with the colonisers of Algeria, arguing that unlike the French in Algeria, Israeli’s will stand their ground in the face of attacks, a conviction since blown apart by large numbers of Israeli’s fleeing post Oct 7th and in the face of strikes by Iran and a free-falling economic base.
Some of the conclusions at the end of the book are simply false, such as the absurd assertion that the US played little to no role in the recent catastrophes in Syria, Libya and Yemen. This scaling back of US involvement in the region will then supposedly open the door for Europe to play a bigger role in a wider drive for peace, the same Europe that has done everything in it’s power to facilitate Israel’s genocide. Why Khalidi believed, even prior to the genocide, Europe was not as rabidly committed to the Zionist project as the US is anyone’s guess.
Despite these ventures into idealism The Hundred Years War on Palestine is required reading, A clear, concise, and honest rendering of the war waged on the Palestinian people and their refusal to be erased by history.
The book is chronologically divided into six chapters, each recounting a phase (declaration of war) of the colonisation of Palestine. This approach organised the history into digestible chunks without dumbing it down, proving that this conflict is not too complex for most people to understand. The writing is accessible and not academic.
Khalidi provides a brief history of the origins of Zionism, showing categorically that it is an ideology of racial supremacy and colonisation. Israeli crimes are meticulously researched and laid bare, the myths that Israel uses to cover up, excuse, or justify itself are thoroughly debunked.
The value of the book lies not just in a much needed recording of the brutal Zionist colonisation and western complicity, but also of the resistance. Centering the resistance of the Palestinian people as the driving force of history, thus countering the western narrative of the conflict being an intractable, never ending religious war, or an inter state conflict, erasing Palestinians and obscuring the colonial nature of Israel.
Even though Palestinian resistance is centered in the narrative, it isn’t passed over without criticism. Khalidi provides a scathing critique of Palestinian leadership and the various tactics of the PLO and Hamas, sometimes to a fault. Khalidi is clearly a strong opponent of armed resistance, preferring a peaceful, PR driven strategy as the key to Palestinian liberation.
The armed resistance is usually framed as a disaster that led to a worsening of the conditions of Palestinians, so much so that it verges dangerously close to victim blaming. Needless to say the largely peaceful resistance and civil disobedience of the first infitada, which Khalidi effusively praises, is not then blamed for the subsequently disastrous Oslo agreement, which it should be if we are to follow Khalidi’s logic.
Khalidi rightfully deconstructs Oslo as a sham, but bizarrely claims it could have been fruitful had Palestine had better lawyers at hand and a slick PR campaign that put their case to the west and the Israeli public. The same Israeli public who are now almost unanimous in their support for a genocide on Palestinians.
The futility of armed resistance is presented against the backdrop of a supposedly rock solid Israeli state. Khalidi overestimates the staying power of Israel as a national identity. Drawing favourable comparisons with the colonisers of Algeria, arguing that unlike the French in Algeria, Israeli’s will stand their ground in the face of attacks, a conviction since blown apart by large numbers of Israeli’s fleeing post Oct 7th and in the face of strikes by Iran and a free-falling economic base.
Some of the conclusions at the end of the book are simply false, such as the absurd assertion that the US played little to no role in the recent catastrophes in Syria, Libya and Yemen. This scaling back of US involvement in the region will then supposedly open the door for Europe to play a bigger role in a wider drive for peace, the same Europe that has done everything in it’s power to facilitate Israel’s genocide. Why Khalidi believed, even prior to the genocide, Europe was not as rabidly committed to the Zionist project as the US is anyone’s guess.
Despite these ventures into idealism The Hundred Years War on Palestine is required reading, A clear, concise, and honest rendering of the war waged on the Palestinian people and their refusal to be erased by history.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
A truly difficult read, both emotionally and mentally as you take in the sheer amount of harm and destruction caused to this people group.
The author condensed the historical beats well but be advised that unless you have some prior understanding you might get lost as to who is whom and what events happened when. So take your time and learn.
The author condensed the historical beats well but be advised that unless you have some prior understanding you might get lost as to who is whom and what events happened when. So take your time and learn.
A must read, filled with first hand experience as well as research.
Completely infuriating that you can pick excerpts from across the entire history described and it will sound exactly like what’s happening today.
Completely infuriating that you can pick excerpts from across the entire history described and it will sound exactly like what’s happening today.
challenging
informative
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Heartbreaking, harrowing and anger inducing book that should be a must read.
After finishing this I sat in silence for five minutes to really absorb what I'd read and I nearly sobbed.
More must be done for Palestinians as they have been consistently failed by everyone, including their own people at times. How anyone could support Israel is beyond me.
I genuinely hope Kissinger is burning in hell.
After finishing this I sat in silence for five minutes to really absorb what I'd read and I nearly sobbed.
More must be done for Palestinians as they have been consistently failed by everyone, including their own people at times. How anyone could support Israel is beyond me.
I genuinely hope Kissinger is burning in hell.
informative
reflective
slow-paced