espite its prominence in international relations and global humanitarian response, most people are taught very little about what exactly is going on with Israel and Palestine, or—most importantly—why. One might learn about the Oslo Accords, or at least recall seeing the famous photo where then-US President Bill Clinton presided over a handshake by Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, then the leaders of Israel and the Palestinians, respectively. They’ve almost certainly heard about some flare-up of violence from an Intifada in the West Bank to Israeli bombings in Gaza. However, a typical reaction when bringing up this topic to most audiences is one of either complete and unchallenged support to one side or the other, or more often, a feeling of resignation that the situation is just too complicated to understand.
Fortunately, we have books for either of those conditions. Sure, the topic is complex, if due to its length alone (more than a decade of blockade in Gaza, more than 50 years of occupation in the West Bank, and more than 70 years since the Nakba, when the state of Israel was created and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced and thousands killed). However, too often its complexity is referred to in a manner with which to avoid its examination. Instead, its complexity should offer more opportunities to challenge our understanding of the situation and the events that, as is the case this week, precipitate it to once again return to global news.
If this complexity inspires curiosity in an interested reader, rather than futility, fortunately there have been dozens of books that can help fill in some of those gaps of understanding, despite their size. The list below compiles several categories of books that help tell a part of the story.
The Classics
A lot has changed since these were released, but they remain foundational texts that provide important context for many of the conversations of today:
"The Question of Palestine" Edward Said. Perhaps best known for his work "Orientalism", this book by celebrated (and oft-critiqued) Palestinian intellectual Edward Said was first published in 1979, with a reissue in 1992 that addresses the first "Intifada" and other developments. Said was not just a casual observer, of course, but was actively involved in the Palestinian National Council until he quit in protest after the Oslo Accords.
"The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine" Ilan Pappe. This is the book most often referenced to me by non-academics as their entry point to reconsidering some of their misconceptions on the topic. Contrary to popular belief, the land upon which Israel was created was not empty but filled with people—Palestinians—that were forcibly displaced over the course of years. Pappe, an Israeli historian, traces this history with archival documents in a book that was incredibly controversial upon its release in 2006 but has come to represent a shift in the discourse around the creation of the state of Israel.
"The Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-Development" Sara Roy. Although focused on the Gaza Strip, the framework of de-development that Roy pioneers in this book is applicable across the Palestinian territories. Originally published in 1995, long before the current blockade, Roy provides an in-depth analysis of social, political, and economic policies towards Palestinians that contribute not just to poor development, but active de-development, as a strategy to diminish the socioeconomic base of the Palestinian population.
The New Classics
Released in recent years, these books feature some of the top scholars of today applying a different lens to some aspect of the conflict:
"Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement" Angela Davis. During the protests in Ferguson in the United States, Palestinian activists were Tweeting tips about avoiding tear gas to Black Americans facing a wholly different, yet ultimately recognizable, militarized police response. Angela Davis, one of the most prominent American civil rights activists, de-exceptionalizes the Palestinian context by connecting the struggles of marginalized people around the world against state violence. This short book builds on decades of solidarity between Black Americans fighting for rights in their own country while supporting their Palestinian counterparts fighting for liberation thousands of miles away.
"The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017" Rashid Khalidi. Any number of Palestinian historian Rashid Khalidi’s books could belong on this list, but in his latest, he weaves archival materials with personal stories that reframe Israel/Palestine as not merely a two-sided conflict, but as a century-long project of colonialism supported by the world’s great powers. Khalidi doesn’t let Palestinian leaders off the hook in this accounting; instead, he points to specific points where they knowingly or mistakenly made decisions that would exacerbate the marginalization of their people.
"Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine" Noura Erakat. Many advocates for Palestinian rights have attempted to use tools of international law to address aspects of settlement, blockade, and occupation, to little success. Erakat, a Palestinian human rights lawyer, builds a comprehensive argument about how international law has not only failed as a framework to provide Palestinians justice, but has instead actually helped entrench colonial practices and structures of oppression.
Books with a Unique Perspective
There are hundreds of books on Israel/Palestine, so this might be the most difficult section to limit. Ultimately, the books below add something new to the discourse that either directly address misconceptions or are likely to prompt introspection in the reader.
"The Way to the Spring: Life and Death in Palestine" Ben Ehrenreich. We’ve all seen those “foreign journalist humanizes a misunderstood population” books, but Ehrenreich did the work, spending years throughout the West Bank and living with Palestinian families to write his humane and delicate account of the emotional and mental toll of life under occupation.
"Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics" Marc Lamont Hill and Mitchell Plitnick. This brand-new book challenges progressive politics in the United States, which, despite making inroads on issues like gun violence, gender and racial equity, and police brutality, and brandishing catch phrases about “decolonization,” remains mostly quiet or neutral when it comes to Palestine, often for fear of losing professional opportunities, as Hill himself did in 2018.
"Refugees of the Revolution: Experiences of Palestinian Exile" Diana Allan. The story of Palestinians does not end at the borders of Gaza or the West Bank. Today, millions of displaced Palestinians and their descendants live in neighboring states as refugees, having never even seen the land they call home. Allan’s deeply nuanced ethnography of a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon asks important questions about identity, nationalism, and the reality of a life limited by a political battle that existed long before many of its participants were born.
Fiction
While non-fiction helps us learn about a topic, it is just as important to feel the weight of the reality of that topic. Fiction helps take the facts and figures of a crisis and humanizes them, placing them in the backdrop of the lives of characters who are just trying to survive.
"Speak, Bird, Speak Again: Palestinian Arab Folktales" Ibrahim Muhawi & Sharif Kanaana. A beautiful, challenging, and historical look at Palestinian Arab culture through folk stories. Definitely not the type of folktales you read to your children, but these two scholars compile a collection of this diminishing art form to give a glimpse of life in historic Palestine.
"Mornings in Jenin" Susan Abulhawa. One of the most famous pieces of fiction based in Palestine, an intergenerational story that follows its lead character through displacement, the reality of becoming a refugee, and yet the urge to build a life despite the obstacles and tragedies that hold us back.
"Salt Houses" Hala Aylan. Another intergenerational story that shows how a single Palestinian family faces displacement, dispossession, and personal trauma over several generations, but remains compelled by this homeland that becomes increasingly lost to them.
Cookbooks
Situated directly within the Fertile Crescent, Palestinian culture has long boasted a rich, regional, and family-focused culinary tradition. While overlapping with many other Levantine classics (falafel, fattoush, kibbe), the cuisine of Palestine offers many delicacies you’re probably much less familiar with. I can’t think of a better way to appreciate the culture than to make the recipes Palestinians have passed down for generations. Just make room in your spice cabinet first.
"Palestine on a Plate" Joudie Kalla. Palestine is not just a war zone, of course, but a land rich in culture, history, and traditions that are exemplified in its cooking and use of local ingredients. Aside from stunning pictures, Kalla tells the story of how the dishes came to be, and she uses discussion of regional ingredients to discuss historical and contemporary factors in the recipe’s creation.
"The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey" Laila El-Haddad. Few places on Earth are more misunderstood than Gaza, a tiny strip of land with artificial borders filled primarily with Palestinians displaced from Israel or the West Bank. In this book, El-Haddad tells the history of a Gaza that existed in another time, before 1948, as well as the reality of the Gaza that exists today, all through more than 100 recipes unique to this coastal region of Palestine.
"Craving Palestine: A Cookbook" a fundraising compilation curated by Farrah Abuasad, Lama Bazzari, and Fadi Kattan. This cookbook compiles the favorite recipes of some prominent Palestinians (including Rashida Tlaib, Susan Abulhawa, Mohamed Hadid, and many others), ranging from the traditional to innovative twists on Palestinian flavors. Aside from being a tour through the history and geography of Palestine, proceeds benefit Palestinian refugees in Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan.
It is not necessary to read all of these books to have a more nuanced understanding of what is complicated about Palestine. Pick a few that resonate with you, read them, challenge yourself, and challenge others. See the full list of recommended reading on Twitter.
a global affairs media network
Essential Readings on Palestine
Photo by Zahra Tahir via Unsplash.
May 15, 2021
Editor's Note: This list has been adapted from Dr. Asi's Twitter thread on the same topic.
D
espite its prominence in international relations and global humanitarian response, most people are taught very little about what exactly is going on with Israel and Palestine, or—most importantly—why. One might learn about the Oslo Accords, or at least recall seeing the famous photo where then-US President Bill Clinton presided over a handshake by Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, then the leaders of Israel and the Palestinians, respectively. They’ve almost certainly heard about some flare-up of violence from an Intifada in the West Bank to Israeli bombings in Gaza. However, a typical reaction when bringing up this topic to most audiences is one of either complete and unchallenged support to one side or the other, or more often, a feeling of resignation that the situation is just too complicated to understand.
Fortunately, we have books for either of those conditions. Sure, the topic is complex, if due to its length alone (more than a decade of blockade in Gaza, more than 50 years of occupation in the West Bank, and more than 70 years since the Nakba, when the state of Israel was created and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced and thousands killed). However, too often its complexity is referred to in a manner with which to avoid its examination. Instead, its complexity should offer more opportunities to challenge our understanding of the situation and the events that, as is the case this week, precipitate it to once again return to global news.
If this complexity inspires curiosity in an interested reader, rather than futility, fortunately there have been dozens of books that can help fill in some of those gaps of understanding, despite their size. The list below compiles several categories of books that help tell a part of the story.
The Classics
A lot has changed since these were released, but they remain foundational texts that provide important context for many of the conversations of today:
"The Question of Palestine" Edward Said. Perhaps best known for his work "Orientalism", this book by celebrated (and oft-critiqued) Palestinian intellectual Edward Said was first published in 1979, with a reissue in 1992 that addresses the first "Intifada" and other developments. Said was not just a casual observer, of course, but was actively involved in the Palestinian National Council until he quit in protest after the Oslo Accords.
"The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine" Ilan Pappe. This is the book most often referenced to me by non-academics as their entry point to reconsidering some of their misconceptions on the topic. Contrary to popular belief, the land upon which Israel was created was not empty but filled with people—Palestinians—that were forcibly displaced over the course of years. Pappe, an Israeli historian, traces this history with archival documents in a book that was incredibly controversial upon its release in 2006 but has come to represent a shift in the discourse around the creation of the state of Israel.
"The Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-Development" Sara Roy. Although focused on the Gaza Strip, the framework of de-development that Roy pioneers in this book is applicable across the Palestinian territories. Originally published in 1995, long before the current blockade, Roy provides an in-depth analysis of social, political, and economic policies towards Palestinians that contribute not just to poor development, but active de-development, as a strategy to diminish the socioeconomic base of the Palestinian population.
The New Classics
Released in recent years, these books feature some of the top scholars of today applying a different lens to some aspect of the conflict:
"Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement" Angela Davis. During the protests in Ferguson in the United States, Palestinian activists were Tweeting tips about avoiding tear gas to Black Americans facing a wholly different, yet ultimately recognizable, militarized police response. Angela Davis, one of the most prominent American civil rights activists, de-exceptionalizes the Palestinian context by connecting the struggles of marginalized people around the world against state violence. This short book builds on decades of solidarity between Black Americans fighting for rights in their own country while supporting their Palestinian counterparts fighting for liberation thousands of miles away.
"The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017" Rashid Khalidi. Any number of Palestinian historian Rashid Khalidi’s books could belong on this list, but in his latest, he weaves archival materials with personal stories that reframe Israel/Palestine as not merely a two-sided conflict, but as a century-long project of colonialism supported by the world’s great powers. Khalidi doesn’t let Palestinian leaders off the hook in this accounting; instead, he points to specific points where they knowingly or mistakenly made decisions that would exacerbate the marginalization of their people.
"Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine" Noura Erakat. Many advocates for Palestinian rights have attempted to use tools of international law to address aspects of settlement, blockade, and occupation, to little success. Erakat, a Palestinian human rights lawyer, builds a comprehensive argument about how international law has not only failed as a framework to provide Palestinians justice, but has instead actually helped entrench colonial practices and structures of oppression.
Books with a Unique Perspective
There are hundreds of books on Israel/Palestine, so this might be the most difficult section to limit. Ultimately, the books below add something new to the discourse that either directly address misconceptions or are likely to prompt introspection in the reader.
"The Way to the Spring: Life and Death in Palestine" Ben Ehrenreich. We’ve all seen those “foreign journalist humanizes a misunderstood population” books, but Ehrenreich did the work, spending years throughout the West Bank and living with Palestinian families to write his humane and delicate account of the emotional and mental toll of life under occupation.
"Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics" Marc Lamont Hill and Mitchell Plitnick. This brand-new book challenges progressive politics in the United States, which, despite making inroads on issues like gun violence, gender and racial equity, and police brutality, and brandishing catch phrases about “decolonization,” remains mostly quiet or neutral when it comes to Palestine, often for fear of losing professional opportunities, as Hill himself did in 2018.
"Refugees of the Revolution: Experiences of Palestinian Exile" Diana Allan. The story of Palestinians does not end at the borders of Gaza or the West Bank. Today, millions of displaced Palestinians and their descendants live in neighboring states as refugees, having never even seen the land they call home. Allan’s deeply nuanced ethnography of a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon asks important questions about identity, nationalism, and the reality of a life limited by a political battle that existed long before many of its participants were born.
Fiction
While non-fiction helps us learn about a topic, it is just as important to feel the weight of the reality of that topic. Fiction helps take the facts and figures of a crisis and humanizes them, placing them in the backdrop of the lives of characters who are just trying to survive.
"Speak, Bird, Speak Again: Palestinian Arab Folktales" Ibrahim Muhawi & Sharif Kanaana. A beautiful, challenging, and historical look at Palestinian Arab culture through folk stories. Definitely not the type of folktales you read to your children, but these two scholars compile a collection of this diminishing art form to give a glimpse of life in historic Palestine.
"Mornings in Jenin" Susan Abulhawa. One of the most famous pieces of fiction based in Palestine, an intergenerational story that follows its lead character through displacement, the reality of becoming a refugee, and yet the urge to build a life despite the obstacles and tragedies that hold us back.
"Salt Houses" Hala Aylan. Another intergenerational story that shows how a single Palestinian family faces displacement, dispossession, and personal trauma over several generations, but remains compelled by this homeland that becomes increasingly lost to them.
Cookbooks
Situated directly within the Fertile Crescent, Palestinian culture has long boasted a rich, regional, and family-focused culinary tradition. While overlapping with many other Levantine classics (falafel, fattoush, kibbe), the cuisine of Palestine offers many delicacies you’re probably much less familiar with. I can’t think of a better way to appreciate the culture than to make the recipes Palestinians have passed down for generations. Just make room in your spice cabinet first.
"Palestine on a Plate" Joudie Kalla. Palestine is not just a war zone, of course, but a land rich in culture, history, and traditions that are exemplified in its cooking and use of local ingredients. Aside from stunning pictures, Kalla tells the story of how the dishes came to be, and she uses discussion of regional ingredients to discuss historical and contemporary factors in the recipe’s creation.
"The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey" Laila El-Haddad. Few places on Earth are more misunderstood than Gaza, a tiny strip of land with artificial borders filled primarily with Palestinians displaced from Israel or the West Bank. In this book, El-Haddad tells the history of a Gaza that existed in another time, before 1948, as well as the reality of the Gaza that exists today, all through more than 100 recipes unique to this coastal region of Palestine.
"Craving Palestine: A Cookbook" a fundraising compilation curated by Farrah Abuasad, Lama Bazzari, and Fadi Kattan. This cookbook compiles the favorite recipes of some prominent Palestinians (including Rashida Tlaib, Susan Abulhawa, Mohamed Hadid, and many others), ranging from the traditional to innovative twists on Palestinian flavors. Aside from being a tour through the history and geography of Palestine, proceeds benefit Palestinian refugees in Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan.
It is not necessary to read all of these books to have a more nuanced understanding of what is complicated about Palestine. Pick a few that resonate with you, read them, challenge yourself, and challenge others. See the full list of recommended reading on Twitter.
