Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi

The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A Landmark History of the Conflict Told from an Explicitly Palestinian Perspective

In 1899, Yusuf Diya al-Khalidi, the mayor of Jerusalem, expressed alarm at the Zionist call to create a Jewish national home in Palestine. Addressing a letter to Theodore Herzl, al-Khalidi warned of the peril ahead, stating that the country had an indigenous people who would not easily accept their own displacement. This warning, as Rashid Khalidi, al-Khalidi's great-great-nephew, begins this sweeping history, marked the start of a hundred-year colonial war on the Palestinians, waged first by the Zionist movement and then by Israel, with the backing of Britain and the United States, the great powers of the age.

Drawing on a wealth of untapped archival materials and the reports of generations of family members – mayors, judges, scholars, diplomats, and journalists – Khalidi's work upends the accepted interpretations of the conflict, which often describe it as a tragic clash between two peoples with claims to the same territory. Instead, he traces the history of 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.

Khalidi's account 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. Rather, it offers an illuminating new view of a conflict that continues to this day, one that reevaluates the forces arrayed against the Palestinians.

The Hundred Years' War on Palestine is a landmark history, the first general account of the conflict told from an explicitly Palestinian perspective. Khalidi's work draws on a rich tapestry of personal and institutional records, providing a comprehensive and authoritative narrative of the struggle for Palestine. Through pivotal events and family histories, the book traces the evolution of the conflict, highlighting the key episodes that have shaped its trajectory.

At the heart of Khalidi's narrative is the story of the indigenous Palestinian people, who have resisted and endured the colonial onslaught for over a century. The book explores the impact of this conflict on the lives of ordinary Palestinians, as well as the political, diplomatic, and military strategies employed by both sides.

Importantly, Khalidi's work acknowledges the complexities and nuances of the conflict, recognizing the emergence of national movements on both sides and the need for a balanced understanding of the historical record. The Hundred Years' War on Palestine is a critical contribution to the ongoing debate surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict, offering a perspective that challenges the dominant narratives and sheds new light on this longstanding and intractable dispute.

In its scope and depth, this work represents a significant milestone in the historiography of the Middle East. Khalidi's meticulous research and insightful analysis provide a comprehensive and authoritative account of a conflict that has shaped the region and the global political landscape for over a century. The Hundred Years' War on Palestine is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the complex and often-misunderstood history of this enduring struggle.

product information: