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A review by amandakitz
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Rashid Khalidi's history of the occupation in Palestine demonstrates his skills as a scholar as well as the importance of proximity to the conflict to bypass propaganda. Israel and the U.S. had strengths not only in sheer military force in the region but in their PR and propaganda campaigns, turning the world against the Palestinian cause. Khalidi's work counters that narrative skillfully through personal experience, interviews, scholarship, and proximity to the conflict.
Through the eyes of Khalidi, whose family, friends, and homeland in the Occupied Territories and in the diaspora were impacted severely by the Israeli occupation, we see an accounting of history from someone who has lived it. In his accounts of his father's and his own work in the UN and the contacts he had with the Fatah and the PLO, we see that he is not merely writing through personal experience as a Palestinian nor through pure scholarship as a leading historian in Palestinian Studies, but also as an advisor and envoy in peace talks with key leaders and politicians throughout the latter decades of the conflict. The personal, professional, and scholarly influences on his perspective form a well-rounded, clear picture of the situation and the factors at play.
Khalidi's writing style is far from dry and makes the complicated history of various Palestinian resistance groups and organizations easy to follow. The book was extremely well-organized, well-researched, and well-written, a masterclass in providing depth of scholarship without compromising accessibility. For those beginning the work of seeking the truth behind the propaganda, this is an excellent book I can easily recommend.
Through the eyes of Khalidi, whose family, friends, and homeland in the Occupied Territories and in the diaspora were impacted severely by the Israeli occupation, we see an accounting of history from someone who has lived it. In his accounts of his father's and his own work in the UN and the contacts he had with the Fatah and the PLO, we see that he is not merely writing through personal experience as a Palestinian nor through pure scholarship as a leading historian in Palestinian Studies, but also as an advisor and envoy in peace talks with key leaders and politicians throughout the latter decades of the conflict. The personal, professional, and scholarly influences on his perspective form a well-rounded, clear picture of the situation and the factors at play.
Khalidi's writing style is far from dry and makes the complicated history of various Palestinian resistance groups and organizations easy to follow. The book was extremely well-organized, well-researched, and well-written, a masterclass in providing depth of scholarship without compromising accessibility. For those beginning the work of seeking the truth behind the propaganda, this is an excellent book I can easily recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and War
Crucial history of war necessarily contains descriptions of war, and crucial history of violent oppression and colonization necessarily contains descriptions of colonial violence, oppression, intentionally targeting civilians, and genocidal rhetoric, policies, and military campaigns. Engage with the understanding that, depending on your background, additional self-care and pacing may be required.