The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917-2017

The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 (2020) is a nonfiction book by Palestinian American historian and political activist Rashid Khalidi. Combining conventions of the academic history book genre with first-person details of his and his family’s experiences, Khalidi provides the first account of the conflict over Palestine from a Palestinian perspective. Khalidi focuses on six turning points in this conflict, which he frames as declarations of war on Palestinians.

Khalidi’s goal is to show readers that the century-long conflict is rooted in colonial decisions made by the Zionist movement with backing from superpowers (Great Britain and the US) and regional (other Arab countries) and local (Palestinian leadership) players. He also demonstrates the resiliency and agency of Palestinian people in the face of insurmountable challenges and systemic ethnic discrimination. While he finds that the situation Palestinians are facing today more dire than ever before, Khalidi remains hopeful that both Palestinians and Israelis can work together to achieve long-lasting peace and security.

Note: This guide refers to the first Metropolitan Paperbacks Edition published in 2022. It also uses the phrase “Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” There is debate over whether this is the appropriate way to frame the conflict. Conflict suggests equality between two sides in a dispute. As Khalidi documents, parity does not exist between Palestinians and Israelis in this conflict. However, media, political leaders, and lay people commonly use this phrase today. This guide uses the phrase for this reason.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss themes relating to ethnic cleansing, war crimes, the Holocaust, and anti-Muslim and anti-Arab racism and xenophobia.

Summary

Khalidi begins by focusing on a written exchange between his great-great-great uncle, Yusuf Diya al-Din Pasha al-Khalidi, and Theodor Herzl, the founder of the Zionist movement. Khalidi describes Yusuf Diya’s letter as prophetic since he warns Herzl that attempts to displace the indigenous people of Palestine will cause conflict and unrest. This prediction came true. Herzl’s response also reinforces the colonial nature of the Zionist movement.

In Chapter 1, Khalidi focuses on the first declaration of war against the Palestinians and the role of British leaders’ bias in favor of Zionist settlers in launching the conflict between 1917 and 1939. The Balfour Declaration and the Mandate of Palestine illustrate this bias. In both episodes, Britain pledged to facilitate the settlement of European Jewish settlers in Palestine, which represented a key goal of the Zionist movement. Palestinians tried to fight back, but the British brutally suppressed any dissent. To Khalidi, the Palestinian revolt and the subsequent decimation of Palestinian leadership and the economy put them in a weak position to combat Zionist expansion into their homeland.

Khalidi turns to the second declaration of war, which is the 1947-1948 Nakba. This conflict resulted in the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians by Israeli forces. Khalidi meticulously reveals how different groups denied Palestinian nationalism and therefore contributed to the Nakba: Great Britain and the US; Arab leaders such as King Abdullah of Jordan; the UN through its Special Commission on Palestine and adoption of Resolution 181; and some Palestinian leaders. The Nakba represents a collective trauma for Palestinians, which still impacts them today. Khalidi also argues that Israel committed ethnic cleansing during the Nakba.

To Khalidi, the 1967 Six-Day War and the UN Security Council Resolution 242 that followed represents the third declaration of war on the Palestinians. Both events aimed to weaken Palestinians further. However, the events had the opposite effect: There was a resurgence in Palestinian identity and culture. Despite all the setbacks, Palestinians wanted to tell the story of the conflict from their perspective. Palestinian artists and writers shifted Arab public opinion by relaying the systemic discrimination and injustices faced by Palestinians. The rise of the Palestinian national movement, including the Palestinian Liberation Organization led by Yasser Arafat until his death, put Palestine back on the map.

Khalidi then details the fourth declaration of war, which is the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. To Khalidi, this war represents the first time that Israeli and American officials deliberately targeted Palestinians. This section of the book includes Khalidi’s first-hand experiences with the war. He, his wife Mona (who was pregnant at the time), and their two children lived in Lebanon during the war. Israeli forces labeled him and his family terrorists because of his and Mona’s political activism. He also witnessed many atrocities committed against Palestinian and Lebanese civilians.

Khalidi turns to the First Intifada (uprising) and the Oslo accords in Chapter 5. The grassroots-led intifada was important because it helped Palestinians to change global perception of the conflict. For the first time, the international community sympathized with the Palestinian cause. Palestinians were potentially on the cusp of being able to negotiate with Israelis on a more equal footing. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) halted this progress, however, by signing the Oslo accords, which Khalidi describes as the fifth declaration of war.

In Chapter 6, Khalidi focuses on four episodes between 2000 and 2014: the rise of Hamas, the Second Intifada, the failure of the 2000 Camp David Summit, and three wars on the Gaza Strip. During this period, Palestinians faced harsh criticism from abroad, largely because of biased media coverage. Khalidi thinks that American public opinion—primarily among younger, more liberal, and less religious Americans—is slowly shifting in favor of the Palestinian narrative. However, the Palestinians still have much work to do.

In the Conclusion, Khalidi reiterates the main themes of his book. First, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is rooted in over a century of colonial decisions made by the Zionist movement and Israeli government. This colonial approach stands in opposition to values of equality, justice, and democracy, which is why the complete colonization of Palestine has so far failed. Attempts at colonizing Palestine came at a time of decolonization. Second, superpowers and regional and local players have shaped the trajectory of the conflict. Khalidi blames Great Britain, the US, Arab nations, and Israeli and Palestinian leadership for the failed peace talks and continued systemic oppression and discrimination of his people. Third, narrative battles have shaped the conflict and its perceptions around the world. Khalidi argues that the Zionist movement and Israeli government have won and continue to win this battle, although this may be changing. One example is the outbreak of protests on college campuses across the US in the spring of 2024, where students are advocating for the Palestinian cause. Finally, Khalidi, like other Palestinians and Israelis, still believes that peace is possible. He suggests that by focusing on grassroots activism, changing global perceptions, rejecting the Oslo accords in future diplomatic negotiations, and working with Israelis, Palestinians can achieve peace and security based on equality and justice.