The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017

A history of one hundred years of conflict involving Palestinians, told from an explicitly Palestinian perspective by Rashid Khalidi, a US historian of the Middle East. The narrative begins with an 1899 letter written by Yusuf Diya al-Khalidi, mayor of Jerusalem and Khalidi's great-great-nephew, to Theodore Herzl warning of the consequences of displacing Palestine's indigenous population. Drawing on archival materials and accounts from generations of family members—including mayors, judges, scholars, diplomats, and journalists—the book traces a hundred years of colonial war on the Palestinians, initially by the Zionist movement and then Israel, with backing from Britain and the United States. Key episodes covered include the 1917 Balfour Declaration, the destruction of Palestine in 1948, Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, and subsequent peace efforts. The work examines major forces and events shaping the conflict while acknowledging mistakes by Palestinian leaders and the emergence of national movements on both sides. It presents an interpretation that differs from accounts describing the conflict as a tragic clash between two peoples with competing territorial claims.