Khalidi, Rashid. The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017. Henry Holt and Co., 2020.
Khalidi weaves together rigorous historical research with familial and personal experience to bring us this detailed analysis of Zionism’s settler colonial project in Palestine. The introduction situates Israel within a global context of other modern settler colonial nations (new national powers built atop stolen Indigenous land) which include the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
From the Balfour Declaration of 1917, to the Nakba of 1948, to the 1982 war in Lebanon, and into the 21st century, Khalidi demonstrates how the funding and political support of first Britain and then the United States has been critical to Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people. More than indicting Israel and its allies for their attacks on Palestine, the book also takes an unflinching look at the shortcomings in Palestinian leadership and insufficient solidarity from neighbouring Arab nations that made Palestine particularly vulnerable to imperial powers. Khalidi describes the different Palestinian organizations and their disparate responses to occupation, including diplomatic negotiations with Israel and its allies, attempts to influence public opinion in the West, and armed resistance.
Although the reader may not agree with all of the author’s judgements and proposed solutions, they will no doubt find his insights invaluable. For anyone who wants to understand the historical context of Israel’s war on Palestine and the Palestinian people’s ongoing fight for freedom and self-determination, Khalidi’s book, with its extensive bibliographic notes, is an excellent place to start learning.
Bees Birthed by Bugonia 