This book review was written by Eugene Kernes
“Such radical social engineering at
the expense of the indigenous population is the way of all colonial settler
movements. In Palestine, it was a
necessary precondition for transforming most of an overwhelmingly Arab country
into a predominantly Jewish state. As
this book will argue, the modern history of Palestine can best be understood in
these terms: as a colonial war waged against the indigenous population, by a
variety of parties, to force them to relinquish their homeland to another
people against their will.” – Rashid Khalidi, Introduction, Page 9
“This leaves the thorny issue of how to wean Israelis from
their attachment to inequality, which is often coded as and justified by a need
for security. This perceived need is to
a large extent rooted in a real history of insecurity and persecution, but in
response to this past trauma, generations have now been brought up on a
reflexive dogma of aggressive nationalism whose tenacious hold will be hard to
break.” – Rashid Khalidi, Conclusion: A Century of War on the Palestinians,
Page 245
“While the fundamentally colonial nature of the Palestinian-Israel encounter must be acknowledged, there are now two people in Palestine, irrespective of how they came into being, and the conflict between them cannot be resolved as long as the national existence of each is denied by the other. Their mutual acceptance can only be based on complete equality of rights, including national rights, notwithstanding the crucial historical differences between the two.” – Rashid Khalidi, Conclusion: A Century of War on the Palestinians, Page 246
Is This An Overview?
Palestine was governed by the Ottoman Empire until the end
of WWI. While various regions gained
independence and sovereignty, Palestine was occupied by the British. The British took over governance of
Palestine. To obtain influence in the
region, the British enabled an autonomous Zionist para-state, facilitated
Jewish immigration into the region. Zionism
was to take over the sovereignty of Palestine.
But Palestine was populated by a people, with a vibrant and developing
Arab society. Propaganda efforts made
Palestine appear to be a barren and empty region. A method of denying Palestinians political
representation, cultural heritage, and existence.
While Zionism was being politically represented, the
Palestinians lacked official political standing which prevented the
Palestinians from diplomatic ventures and gaining internal cohesion. A Palestinian revolt failed due to a lack of
direction and division among the Palestinians, a revolt which devasted the Arab
population. The events of WWII further
reduced Palestinian control over the region, as there were many more Jewish immigrants.
As global political power shifted after WWII, the United
States and USSR favored dividing Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab
state. Palestine was caught in a rivalry
between the United States and Russia, with Israel supported by the United
States and various Arab states supported by Russia. The partition caused most Arabs in Palestine
to be under the state of Israel.
Many Palestinians were turned into refugees. Palestinians had their movements
restricted. There was a Nakba, which was
an ethnic cleansing, and destruction or theft of economic production
capacity. The Palestinian sovereign
identity would emerge internationally after a first strike by Israel in
1967. The resolution to the
Palestine-Israel conflict would require mutual acceptance of each other’s
existence. Acceptance of each other’s
sovereignty.
Caveats?
This is a politically sensitive
book, meant as a counternarrative to various claims about who the Palestinians
are, and what has happened to the Palestinians.
While most of the book is a history of events, that feature harmful
Israel actions, the references to Palestinian harmful actions are minimized and
deflected away from.
