The Palestine reading list
Welcome to the Decolonize Palestine reading list.
We have carefully put together this list so that you can expand your knowledge on all things Palestine. In an effort to make it easier to navigate, we have attempted to distribute these works into different categories. We understand that this list is rather long; rest assured you don’t have to read every book mentioned here (though that would be awesome!). We are confident that you will learn something new from any of our selected works.
Please keep in mind that sometimes it’s difficult to place readings under a specific category and sometimes they may fit under many. Consequently, some recommendations can be found in multiple sections.
Browse by category
Introduction
Works that we consider an excellent starting point to learning about Palestine. If you can only read one book on the subject, you can’t go wrong with any of these.
Introduction
- Said, Edward W. The question of Palestine. Vintage, 1992.
- Khalidi, Rashid. The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017. Metropolitan Books, 2020.
- Pappe, Ilan. The ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Simon and Schuster, 2007.
History
Palestinian history is long, multifaceted and often misunderstood. This is further complicated by the trend to neglect Palestinian history not directly tied to the modern question of Palestine. This selection of works will help you to better understand Palestinian history from a wider perspective. For the sake of simplicity, they have been divided into four broad categories.
Pre-Nakba
- Doumani, Beshara. Rediscovering Palestine: merchants and peasants in Jabal Nablus, 1700–1900. Univ of California Press, 1995.
- Hjelm, Ingrid, et al., eds. A New Critical Approach to the History of Palestine: Palestine History and Heritage Project 1. Routledge, 2019.
- Joudah, Ahmad Hasan. Revolt in Palestine in the Eighteenth Century: The Era of Shaykh Zahir al-‘Umar. Gorgias Press, 2013.
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Kamel, Lorenzo. Imperial perceptions of Palestine: British influence and power in late Ottoman times. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015.
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Kanafani, Ghassan. The 1936-39 revolt in Palestine. Committee for Democratic Palestine, 1972.
- Khalidi, Rashid. Palestinian identity: The construction of modern national consciousness. Columbia University Press, 2010.
- Khalidi, Walid. Before their diaspora: a photographic history of the Palestinians, 1876-1948. Institute for Palestine Studies, 1984.
- Khalidi, Walid. From Haven to Conquest: Readings in Zionism and the Palestine Problem until 1948. Institute for Palestine Studies, 1987.
- Masalha, Nur. Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History. Zed Books Ltd., 2018.
- Lockman, Zachary. Comrades and enemies: Arab and Jewish workers in Palestine, 1906-1948. Univ of California Press, 1996.
- Muslih, Muhammad Y. The origins of Palestinian nationalism. Columbia University Press, 1988.
- Pappe, Ilan. The idea of Israel: A history of power and knowledge. Verso Books, 2014.
- Raʻad, Basem L. Hidden histories: Palestine and the eastern Mediterranean. Pluto Press, 2010.
- Regan, Bernard. The Balfour Declaration: empire, the mandate and resistance in Palestine. Verso Books, 2017.
- Shlaim, Avi. Collusion across the Jordan: King Abdullah, the Zionist movement, and the partition of Palestine. Clarendon Press, 1988.
Nakba
- Abdo, Nahla, and Nur Masalha, eds. An oral history of the Palestinian Nakba. Zed Books Ltd., 2018.
- Assad, Dawud. Palestine Rising: How I survived the 1948 Deir Yasin Massacre. Xlibris Corp, 2010.
- Khalidi, Walid (ed.), Sharif S. Elmusa, and Muhammad Ali Khalidi. All that remains: The Palestinian villages occupied and depopulated by Israel in 1948. Institute for Palestine Studies, 1992.
- Masalha, Nur. Expulsion of the Palestinians. Washington, DC: Institute for Palestine Studies, 1992.
- Masalha, Nur. The Palestine Nakba: Decolonising history, narrating the subaltern, reclaiming memory. Zed Books Ltd., 2012.
- Masalha, Nur. The politics of denial: Israel and the Palestinian refugee problem. London: Pluto Press, 2003.
- Sa’di, Ahmad H., and Lila Abu-Lughod, eds. Nakba: Palestine, 1948, and the claims of memory. Columbia University Press, 2007.
Post-Nakba
- Chomsky, Noam, and Ilan Papp. Gaza in crisis: reflections on Israel’s war against the Palestinians. Haymarket books, 2013.
- Chomsky, Noam, and Ilan Pappé. On Palestine. Haymarket Books, 2015.
- Ganim, Asʻad. Palestinian politics after Arafat: A failed national movement. Indiana University Press, 2010.
- Khalidi, Rashid. Under siege: PLO decisionmaking during the 1982 war. Columbia University Press, 2013.
- Lockman, Zachary, and Joel Beinin, eds. Intifada: the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation. South End Press, 1989.
- Masalha, Nur. A land without a people: Israel, transfer and the Palestinians 1949-96. Faber and Faber, 1997.
- Massad, Joseph. The persistence of the Palestinian question: Essays on Zionism and the Palestinians. Routledge, 2006.
- Omer, Mohammed. Shell Shocked: On the Ground Under Israel’s Gaza Assault. Haymarket Books, 2015.
- Said, Edward W. The politics of dispossession: The struggle for Palestinian self-determination, 1969-1994. Vintage, 2012.
- Tilley, Virginia. Beyond occupation: apartheid, colonialism and international law in the occupied Palestinian territories. Pluto Press, London, 2012.
Overviews
- Abu-Lughod, Ibrahim A. The Transformation of Palestine: essays on the origin and development of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Northwestern University Press, 1971.
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Brand, Laurie A. Palestinians in the Arab World: Institution building and the search for state. Columbia University Press, 1988.
- Khalidi, Rashid. The iron cage: The story of the Palestinian struggle for statehood. Beacon Press, 2007.
- Masalha, Nur. Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History. Zed Books Ltd., 2018.
- Pappe, Ilan. A history of modern Palestine: One land, two peoples. Cambridge University Press, 2004.
- Sayigh, Rosemary. The Palestinians: From peasants to revolutionaries. Zed Books Ltd., 2013.
Gender and LGBTQ+
Palestinian liberation means freedom for all Palestinians. Not just the male cishetero ones. Explore the experiences of all stripes of Palestinians with these reads.
Gender and LGBTQ+
- Abdo-Zubi, Nahla. Captive revolution: Palestinian women’s anti-colonial struggle within the Israeli prison system. Pluto Press, 2014.
- Abdulhadi, Rabab, Evelyn Alsultany, and Nadine Naber, eds. Arab and Arab American feminisms: gender, violence, and belonging. Syracuse University Press, 2011.
- Atshan, Sa’ed. Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique. Stanford University Press, 2020.
- Farris, Sara R. In the name of women’s rights: The rise of femonationalism. Duke University Press, 2017.
- Farris, Sara. The political economy of homonationalism. Social Text Online. October 25th, 2018. [Link]
- Kanaaneh, Rhoda Ann, and Isis Nusair, eds. Displaced at home: Ethnicity and gender among Palestinians in Israel. SUNY Press, 2010.
- Salaita, Steven. Israel’s dead soul. Temple University Press, 2011.
- Shalhoub-Kevorkian, Nadera. Militarization and violence against women in conflict zones in the Middle East: A Palestinian case-study. Cambridge University Press, 2009.
- Puar, Jasbir K. Terrorist assemblages: Homonationalism in queer times. Duke University Press, 2007.
Media and Censorship
Palestine in the media and the efforts to silence Palestinian voices.
Media and Censorship
- Gould, Rebecca Ruth, and Malaka Shwaikh. The Palestine Exception to Academic Freedom: Intertwined Stories from the Frontlines of UK-Based Palestine Activism, 2020.
- Herman, Edward S., and Noam Chomsky. Manufacturing consent: The political economy of the mass media. Random House, 2010.
- Landy, David, Ronit Lentin, and Conor McCarthy, eds. Enforcing Silence: Academic Freedom, Palestine and the Criticism of Israel. Zed Books Ltd., 2020.
- Matar, Dina, and Zahera Harb. Narrating conflict in the Middle East: discourse, image and communications practices in Lebanon and Palestine. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013.
- Salaita, Steven. Uncivil rites: Palestine and the limits of academic freedom. Haymarket Books, 2015.
Activism and social movements
Works on Palestine-related activism, social movements and mobilization.
Activism and social movements
- Barghouti, Omar. BDS: Boycott, divestment, sanctions: The global struggle for Palestinian rights. Haymarket Books, 2011.
- Barrows-Friedman, Nora. In our power: US students organize for justice in Palestine. Just World Books, 2014.
- Davis, Angela Y. Freedom is a constant struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the foundations of a movement. Haymarket Books, 2016.
- Hill, Marc Lamont and Mitchell Plitnick. Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics. The New Press, 2021.
- Salaita, Steven. Israel’s dead soul. Temple University Press, 2011.
Autobiographies and Memoirs
Delve into Palestine through the eyes of its luminaries.
Autobiographies and Memoirs
- Barghouti, Mourid. I saw Ramallah. Anchor, 2008.
- Karmi, Ghada. In search of Fatima: A Palestinian story. Verso, 2004.
- Karmi, Ghada. Return: A Palestinian Memoir. Verso Books, 2015.
- Khaled, Leila, and George Hajjar. My people shall live: The autobiography of a revolutionary. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1973.
- Said, Edward W. Out of place: A memoir. Vintage, 2012.
- Sakakini, Khalil al. Such am I, Oh World, Diaries of Khalil al Sakakini, 1990.
- Sitta, Salman Abu, and Salman H. Abu-Sitta. Mapping my return: A Palestinian memoir. Oxford University Press, 2016.
One state
Has the two-state solution paradigm reached its end? Was it ever a truly viable option? These works discuss the reemergence of the one-state solution and what it could mean for the future.
One state
- Abunimah, Ali. One country: A bold proposal to end the Israeli-Palestinian impasse. Macmillan, 2006.
- Abunimah, Ali. The battle for justice in Palestine. Haymarket Books, 2014.
- Bashir, Bashir, and Azar Dakwar. “Rethinking the Politics of Israel/Palestine: Partition and Its Alternatives.” S&D Group in the European Parliamet/Bruno Kreisky Forum for international Dialogue, Vienna. 2014.
- Hilal, Jamil. Where Now for Palestine?: The demise of the two state solution. Zed Books, 2007.
- Hussein, Cherine. The re-emergence of the single state solution in Palestine/Israel: Countering an illusion. Routledge, 2015.
- Tilley, Virginia. The one-state solution: A breakthrough for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian deadlock. University of Michigan Press, 2010.
The ‘peace’ process
In-depth looks at the actual proceedings of the ‘peace’ process beyond reductionist talking points.
The 'peace' process
- Aruri, Naseer H. Dishonest broker: the role of the United States in Palestine and Israel. South End, 2003.
- Chomsky, Noam. Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel and the Palestinians. India Research Press, 1983.
- Hammond, Jeremy R. Obstacle to Peace: The US Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Worldview Publications, 2016.
- Honig-Parnass, Tikva. The False Prophets of Peace: Liberal Zionism and the Struggle for Palestine. Haymarket Books, 2011.
- Said, Edward W. Peace and its discontents: Essays on Palestine in the Middle East peace process. Vintage, 2012.
Political economy
Crucial reads on the modern political economy of Palestine and its complete subjugation through the Israeli matrix of control.
Political economy
- Farsakh, Leila. Palestinian labour migration to Israel: Labour, land and occupation. Routledge, 2005.
- Haddad, Toufic. Palestine Ltd.: Neoliberalism and nationalism in the occupied territory. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016.
- Hanafi, Sari, and Linda Tabar. The emergence of a Palestinian globalized elite. Muwatin, 2005.
- Hever, Shir. The political economy of Israel’s occupation. London: Pluto Press, 2010.
- Ross, Andrew. Stone Men: The Palestinians Who Built Israel. Verso Books, 2019.
- Roy, Sara. The Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-development. Institute for Palestine studies. Washington D.C. 2016.
- Taghdisi-Rad, Sahar. The political economy of aid in Palestine: relief from conflict or development delayed?. Routledge, 2010.
- Turner, Mandy, and Omar Shweiki, eds. Decolonizing Palestinian political economy: De-development and beyond. Springer, 2014.
Myth busting
Works that specifically aim to debunk Israeli talking points and hasbara narratives.
Myth busting
- Pappe, Ilan. Ten myths about Israel. Verso Books, 2017.
- Said, Edward W., and Christopher Hitchens, eds. Blaming the victims: Spurious scholarship and the Palestinian question. Verso, 2001.
- Finkelstein, Norman G. Image and reality of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Verso, 2003.
- Finkelstein, Norman G. Beyond chutzpah: On the misuse of anti-Semitism and the abuse of history. Univ of California Press, 2008.
Novels and fiction
Lose yourself in these Palestine-related novels and short stories.
Novels and fiction
- Abulhawa, Susan. Against the loveless world: A novel. Atria Books, 2020.
- Abulhawa, Susan. Mornings in Jenin. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2010.
- Ashur, Raḍwa. The Woman from Tantoura. American University in Cairo Press, 2014.
- Habibi, Imil. The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist. London: Zed Books, 1985.
- Kanafani, Ghassan, and Barbara Harlow. Palestine’s children: returning to Haifa & other stories. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000.
- Khoury, Elias, and Ilyās Khūrī. Gate of the Sun. Random House, 2006.
- Laird, Elizabeth and Sonia Nimr. A little piece of ground. Haymarket Books, 2016.
Palestinians inside the green line
The trials, tribulations and struggles of Palestinians living inside the green line.
Palestinians inside the green line
- Ghanem, As’ad. Palestinian-Arab Minority in Israel, 1948-2000, The: A Political Study. State University of New York Press, 2001.
- Huneidi, Sahar S. Israel and its Palestinian citizens: Ethnic privileges in the Jewish State. Cambridge University Press, 2017.
- Nasasra, Mansour. The Naqab Bedouins: a century of politics and resistance. Columbia University Press, 2017.
- White, Ben, and Haneen Zoabi. Palestinians in Israel: Segregation, discrimination and democracy. London: Pluto Press, 2012.
- Yiftachel, Oren. Ethnocracy: Land and identity politics in Israel/Palestine. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006.
Zionism
Works on Zionism, its history and its material effects on the ground.
Zionism
- Masalha, Nur. A land without a people: Israel, transfer and the Palestinians 1949-96. Faber and Faber, 1997.
- Massad, Joseph. The persistence of the Palestinian question: Essays on Zionism and the Palestinians. Routledge, 2006.
- Pappe, Ilan. The idea of Israel: A history of power and knowledge. Verso Books, 2014.
- Said, Edward W. The question of Palestine. Vintage, 1992.
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Sayegh, Fayez Abdullah. Zionist colonialism in Palestine. Vol. 1. Beirut, Lebanon: Research Center, Palestine Liberation Organization, 1965.
- Shohat, Ella. On the Arab-Jew, Palestine, and Other Displacements. London: Pluto Press, 2017.
Culture
From Zayyad to Kanafani, from the poetic to the culinary, these works will give you a taste of Palestinian culture.
Culture
- Al-Ali, Naji. A Child in Palestine: The Cartoons of Naji Al-Ali. Verso, 2009.
- Aruri, Naseer Hasan, and Edmund Ghareeb, eds. Enemy of the Sun. Drum and Spear Press, 1970.
- Boullata, Kamal. Palestinian Art 1850-2005. Al Saqi, 2009.
- Coetzee, J. M., et al. This Is Not A Border: Reportage & Reflection from the Palestine Festival of Literature. Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2017.
- Dabashi, Hamid, ed. Dreams of a nation: On Palestinian cinema. Verso Books, 2006.
- Darwish, Mahmoud. The butterfly’s burden. Newcastle: Bloodaxe, 2007.
- Furani, Khaled. Silencing the Sea: Secular Rhythms in Palestinian Poetry. Stanford University Press, 2012.
- Hammad, Suheir. ZaatarDiva. Cypher Books, 2005.
- Hijjawi, Sulafa. Poetry of resistance in occupied Palestine. Directorate general of culture, Ministry of culture and guidance, 1968.
- Jawhariyyeh, Wasif. The Storyteller of Jerusalem: The Life and Times of Wasif Jawhariyyeh, 1904–1948. edited by Salim Tamari and Issam Nassar, 2013.
- Joudah, Fady. The earth in the attic. Vol. 102. Yale University Press, 2008.
- Kalla, Joudie. Palestine on a Plate: Memories from my mother’s kitchen. White Lion Publishing, 2019.
- Kanazi, Remi. Before the next bomb drops. Haymarket books, 2015.
- Tamari, Salim. Mountain against the sea: Essays on Palestinian society and culture. Univ of California Press, 2008.
Miscellaneous
Works that just don’t fit in the other categories.
Miscellaneous
- Berry, Melisa Ortiz. Hoke, Malek (eds.) Palestine Speaks: Voices from the West Bank and Gaza, 2019.
- Cook, Jonathan. Disappearing Palestine: Israel’s experiments in human despair. Zed Books Ltd., 2013.
- El-Haj, Nadia Abu. Facts on the ground: Archaeological practice and territorial self-fashioning in Israeli society. University of Chicago Press, 2008.
- Erakat, Noura. Justice for some: Law and the question of Palestine. Stanford University Press, 2019.
- Honig-Parnass, Tikva, and Toufic Haddad, eds. Between the Lines: Readings on Israel, the Palestinians, and the US” war on Terror”. Haymarket Books, 2007.
- Klein, Naomi. The case for sanctions against Israel. Verso Books, 2012.
- Said, Edward W., and David Barsamian. Culture and resistance: conversations with Edward W. Said. South End Press, 2003.
- Shalhoub-Kevorkian, Nadera. Security theology, surveillance and the politics of fear. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
- Shehadeh, Raja. Palestinian walks: notes on a vanishing landscape. Profile Books, 2010.
- Zureik, Elia, David Lyon, and Yasmeen Abu-Laban, eds. Surveillance and control in Israel/Palestine: Population, territory and power. Routledge, 2010.
Background
While these books may not touch upon Palestine specifically, the concepts they explore will help you to better understand the Palestinian question in a global context, as well as its relationship to world imperialism and colonialism.
Background
- Anderson, Benedict. Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. Verso books, 2006.
- Fanon, Frantz. The wretched of the earth. Grove/Atlantic, Inc., 2007.
- Gramsci, Antonio. The Antonio Gramsci Reader: Selected Writings 1916–1935, Forgacs. NY, 2000.
- Herman, Edward S., and Noam Chomsky. Manufacturing consent: The political economy of the mass media. Random House, 2010.
- Hobsbawm, Eric, and Terence Ranger, eds. The invention of tradition. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
- Said, Edward W. Orientalism. Vintage, 1979.
- Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. Decolonizing methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples. Zed Books Ltd., 2013.