One of the most common phrases heard when Palestine is mentioned is, “It’s complicated.” Many people stand on the sidelines, unsure of what’s happening in a region so far away from them. They fear saying the wrong thing, misrepresenting people when speaking up, or even losing their jobs.
Following the Oct. 7 attacks, more than 14,700 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis have been killed. Still, people have yet to fully understand the scope of the attacks. From Palestinian natives to Holocaust survivors, here is a list of books that can help you learn more about the current situation in Palestine.
1. Nakba: Palestine, 1948, and the claims of memory
Ahmad H. Sa’idi and Laila Abu Lughood recount a crucial and defining moment in the history of Palestine. The dispossession and displacement of the Palestinian population in 1948 that led to the creation of the state of Israel is told through the trauma and memories of those who witnessed it.
The book features poetry, cinema, courtroom evidence, and personal stories to illuminate the many experiences of Palestinians in retaining their history and fighting for justice.
2. Gaza in Crisis
Written by American professor Noam Chomsky and Israeli historian Ilan Pappé, this book examines Israeli Operation Cast Lead, a military assault launched on Gaza in 2008, which took the lives of over 1,200 Palestinians, almost all civilians.
The two authors highlight Israel’s targeting of hospitals and schools and the indiscriminate use of white phosphorus in an attack funded by the U.S. government. They also discuss the massive violation of human rights and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians during the ground invasion, giving context to current events occurring in the Gaza Strip in 2023.
3. The Question of Palestine
Edward Said, born in Palestine in 1935, provides a firsthand account of the occupation in Palestine while discussing the origins of Zionism in Europe.
He analyzes the dispossession, exile, dispersion, and disenfranchisement of Palestinian life under military occupation and the use of dehumanizing language by Israeli officials. In his book, Said provides a hopeful resolution to Palestine, arguing that occupation cannot last forever.
4. The End of Judaism: An Ethical Tradition betrayed
Auschwitz survivor Hajo G. Meyer explains how his experience in the Holocaust taught him a fundamental lesson: his moral duty as a human being was never to become like his oppressors.
Through comparing current Israeli policies and the early stages of Nazi persecution of the Jewish population in Germany, Meyer stresses that “never again” meant never again for everyone.
5. Palestine speaks: Narratives of Life under Occupation
A collection of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank describe, in their own words, how the occupation has affected their lives. Their accounts bring to light the frequently disregarded human rights abuses that occur daily in occupied Palestine.
Through the use of oral history, editors Mateo Hoke and Cate Malek hope to humanize a population that has been demeaned, subverted, and ignored.
6. Hollow Land: Israel’s Architecture of Occupation
Eyal Weizman, an Israeli architect, draws attention to how Palestinian land has been militarized into a zone that controls every aspect of Palestinian life. From the apartheid wall and siege on Gaza to illegal checkpoints and settlements, this is an essential read for anyone interested in the spatial violence of the Israeli occupation and the unseen brutality that Palestinians grapple with daily.
7. The Hundred years’ war on Palestine
In this book, Rashid Khalidi seeks to chronicle the century of colonial warfare against the Palestinian people. The support of Western powers does not go unnoticed, and Khalidi holds international actors responsible for the many atrocities committed during what he describes as the “hundred years war” on Palestine. Major episodes in history, such as the 1917 Balfour Declaration, the 1948 Nakba, the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and the consistent denial of peace, are examined.
Reading is not just a hobby. It’s an essential tool in education and the dispelling of misinformation. The seven books above are by no means an exhaustive list but can greatly aid one in understanding how the genocide occurring in Palestine is transpiring.