The Hamas attack on October 7 and Israel's reaction have prompted me to try harder to understand the history of Israel/Palestine. I have read Palestinian histories (Rashad Khalidi [b:The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917-2017|41812831|The Hundred Years' War on Palestine A History of Settler-Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917-2017|Rashid Khalidi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556345491l/41812831._SY75_.jpg|65247140] and I wanted to also read Israeli historians. I learned from a friend that there is a group of new Israeli historians who are telling a different story than the mainstream version, partly because they have had access to papers once classified. One of these historians is Ilan Pappe. And this was the first of his books available to me at the library.

It is a narrative changing book. It covers a lot of ground and supports its claims in a condensed overview. There are ample footnotes for future reading to fill in gaps with more specifics than could be given in this broad sweep. Pappe talks about the difference it makes whether one thinks of Israel/Palestine as a settler colony instead of a national liberation movement and defendss the settler colonialist version. I was interested to also learn that Zionism had foundations in Christian thinking as early as the sixteenth century before it became a defense of Jewish settlers. I found the chapter on the Oslo Peace/Camp David Accords especially helpful as it showed non-peaceful motives behind the "peace process." Pappe also questions the two-state solution quite convincingly. And more--he addresses ten myths after all. Others might stand out to you.

It is a book worth rereading and its sources worth following up on.