Despite everything, 'the Palestinians have not given up': Historian Rashid Khalidi • FRANCE 24

Key Concepts

• 100 Years’ War on Palestine: A historical framework describing the century-long conflict, emphasizing the displacement of the indigenous Palestinian population.
• Archival Historiography: The use of personal family memoirs, letters, and private libraries to supplement official diplomatic records.
• Shifting Narratives: The transition from a dominant pro-Israeli media/political discourse in the West to a more critical public perspective, particularly in the U.S.
• Oslo Accords: A series of agreements between Israel and the PLO that the author characterizes as a significant strategic failure for Palestinian leadership.
• External Dependency: The argument that Israel’s military actions are sustained by U.S. and European diplomatic, financial, and military support.

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1. Main Topics and Historical Context

Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor Emeritus at Columbia University, analyzes the Middle East conflict through the lens of his book, The Hundred Years' War on Palestine. He highlights a 1899 letter written by his great-great-uncle, the former mayor of Jerusalem, to Theodor Herzl. The letter warned that the indigenous Palestinian population would not accept displacement, a statement Khalidi views as a prescient foundation for understanding the subsequent century of conflict.

2. Methodologies and Research Framework

Khalidi departs from traditional, detached academic history by incorporating personal and family narratives.

• Family Archives: He utilized his grandfather’s library (the first public library in Jerusalem) and his uncle’s three-volume memoir of the Ottoman army to provide a human perspective on historical events like the fall of the Ottoman Empire (1918) and the Armenian genocide.
• Personal Experience: He integrates his own experiences, such as living in Beirut during the 1982 Israeli invasion, to illustrate the psychological and physical toll of war, contrasting this with the "boring", impersonal style of traditional historical writing.
• Diplomatic Records: He cross-references personal accounts with official transcripts, such as those from the UN Security Council regarding the 1967 Six-Day War, to expose the "green light" given by the U.S. to Israel.

3. Key Arguments and Perspectives

• Critique of Leadership: Khalidi is openly critical of Palestinian leadership, specifically citing the 1920s/30s and the PLO’s handling of the Oslo Accords as "terrible mistakes."
• Media Complicity: He argues that Western media, particularly in the U.S., has been complicit in obscuring the reality of the conflict. He notes that while mainstream media has been slow to change, social media and independent reporting from Gaza have forced a "sea change" in public opinion.
• The "High Horse" of Elites: Khalidi posits that while public opinion in the U.S. has shifted significantly, political and cultural elites remain resistant. He notes that while books on Palestine are now publishable, the arts (theater and film) remain heavily censored or restricted in the West.

4. Notable Quotes

• On the origins of the conflict: Regarding his great-great-uncle’s warning to Herzl: "There is a people here already, and they will not easily accept being replaced."
• On the shift in public perception: "People realize we've been conned. We've been told a story which is not fully true, or in some cases completely false."
• On the future of the conflict: "Israel is totally dependent on you Europeans and we Americans... When public opinion finally can force the politicians to do the right thing [it will have an effect]."

5. Synthesis and Conclusion

The central takeaway from Khalidi’s analysis is that the conflict is not merely a series of isolated events but a continuous, century-long struggle for existence. He concludes that the path to resolution lies in two areas:

1. Palestinian Resilience: The fact that millions of Palestinians remain in the region and refuse to leave provides the fundamental basis for any future resolution.
2. Western Accountability: Because Israel relies heavily on Western military and diplomatic support, the rapid shift in Western public opinion—driven by the visibility of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza—is the most viable lever to eventually force a change in policy. Khalidi remains cautiously optimistic, provided that political elites eventually align with the evolving views of the public.