This authoritative reference work describes in detail the more than 400 Palestinian villages destroyed or depopulated during the 1948 war. The body of the text is devoted to the villages themselves: each village entry comprises statistical data and several narrative sections. Field research by former residents and guides is used to pinpoint the precise location of village sites. A wide variety of Arab and Western sources is used to summarize village history before 1948 and to synthesize information about its topography, architecture, institutions and economic activity. Israeli and Arab accounts focus on the military operations that led to the conquest of the village. Entries also contain a description of the current status of the site, including post-1948 Israeli settlements established on confiscated village lands. Several hundred photographs, a number of informative maps and five appendices enhance the text prepared by more than thirty participants over a period of nearly six years.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"...a very significant encyclopedic work...the book represents an indispensable basic research tool...a dazzling achievement..." -- Benny Morris, Ha'Aretz
...A very significant encyclopedic work...the book represent an indispensable basic research tool...a dazzling achievement. -- Benny Morris, Ha'Aretz
...A very significant encyclopedic work...the book represent an indispensable basic research tool...a dazzling achievement. -- Benny Morris, Ha'Aretz
From the Publisher
Walid Khalidi was born in Jerusalem and is a graduate of the Universities of London and Oxford. He is a distinguished historian and widely recognized authority on Palestine. Professor Khalidi is a Senior Research Fellow at Harvard's Center for Middles Eastern Studies, and the author of numerous books and articles in Arabic and English.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
58 of 75 people found the following review helpful
By Giant Panda
Format:Hardcover
There is a very good reason why this book received so many 1-star reviews [...]: because it exposes the truth that most Israelis and pro-Zionists wish to hide, forever.
This is history:
step 1: pre-1948 Zionist claim: "there are no people in Palestine"
step 2: 1948 Zionists deliberately expelled 800,000 Palestinians from their homeland
step 3: 1949-1952: Israel systematically destroyed every remnant of 418 Palestinian villages that were depopulated in 1948, in order to erase the evidence.
This monumental book finally presents the evidence, drawn from over 20 sources (including Zionist ones), organized district by district, village by village. It's the evidence Israeli leaders would have hoped been buried forever, so they would never have to face War Crimes Tribunals.
So now their strategy is to post bad reviews for this book here so as to prevent you, potential reader, from seeing that evidence for yourself. Don't close your eyes: see it for yourself, then THINK!
35 of 45 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Despite some of the negative reviews that were written by a few ignorant so-called historians, this book is actually extremely accurate. Whomever you may be, whatever you believe, or whatever side you are on, what happened happend and the facts are there and Mr. Khalidi has documented them well. Israel was formed on land that does not belong to it and this book showed what they did to accomplish that-destroy Palestinian villages. The content of this book and the history behind this conflict is best described by a movie made by Israelis and shown at the San Francisco Jewish film festival calle AL-NAKBA.
91 of 121 people found the following review helpful
By Lina
Format:Hardcover
With respect to all the other reviewers of this book. Yes: war is war and people should expect to get hurt. Yes: Both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian stand-off have suffered from acts of terrorism and it serves no purpose to compare wounds, the dead are dead, we don't need any more. However, this book is a very important research tool for one reason. Unlike the terrorist acts that have been committed by both sides in this pathetic tragedy. This book lists actions that were carried out by the Israeli GOVERNMENT, and which they do not deny. War is war, we expect to hear about violence and inhumanity. This is systematic, the book chronicles a policy that began during a war and is still occurring today despite the Oslo accord and numerous agreements entered into by the Israeli GOVERNMENT. Terrorism and broken treaties are to be expected from people who have been raised with an agenda of hate; wether they be the perrennially armed settlers or the fanatical terrorist groups. What should NOT be considered normal is when these acts are committed by a government, acknowledged and excused. Again I repeat, the Israeli government does NOT deny that these actions were taken. In addition, no one can deny the since the Oslo accord- during "peace" time, Israeli settlements in PALESTINIAN areas have increased by over 50%. Don't believe me if u don't want to, the world is full of libraries, go out and do some research. Finally, with regards to the book, it is a good research tool, containing many statistics and accurate descriptions of places, however, that is all it contains. It is far more useful as an aid when reading accounts ar articles as it can help verify information. however, it is not a history of the missing Palestinian villages and should not be read as such.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very important volume of work
I ordered it for my office as I work for a non-profit that encourages reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Hedva Haymov
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great Buy
It's a great buy for those who are looking for the facts and nothing but the facts about an issue with so many differnt views and spins on it. I really reccomend it.
Published on October 9, 2008 by M. Naser
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent historical account
This book shows the world why there is violence in Palestine today. Because Israel was built on other people's lands, homes, cities, and villages. Read more
Published on April 2, 2007 by Omar Abdelghany
5.0 out of 5 stars
a truth many dont want told
This is a book that tells the truth about a subject many would rather cover up. It is a voice of truth against a decades long propoganda campaign which wishes to pretend that... Read more
Published on August 14, 2005 by A.J.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Terribly misleading
This book is extremely misleading. In sections respectively labeled "occupation" and "depopulation, he lists and describes 418 villages, implying that in 1948, Israel forced Arabs... Read more
Published on September 22, 2003 by Alyssa A. Lappen
5.0 out of 5 stars
An EXCELLENT reference book
A must read for anyone interested in Jewish-Palestinian relations. I think that the information presented was written in a very clear and factual fashion, free from "emotional... Read more
Published on February 3, 2003 by Norma R. De Yagcier
4.0 out of 5 stars
Balancing history
This book goes a long way to correcting the historical bias that has been so detrimental in the difficult search for a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Read more
Published on January 24, 2003 by Sara
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must Read to understand the Palestinian plight!
A great book that every Zionist and person of clear conscious must read to understand the history of Palestine and why there are problems in that region. Read more
Published on June 4, 2002
2.0 out of 5 stars
Usable, but sketchy and biased
This book, like many books on this subject which approach the issue with an agenda, is not particularly useful for the average reader. Read more
Published on March 19, 2002 by voice of moderation
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dazzling Encyclopedic Work
As an Israeli Jew who is the son of American olim, I have been raised both very left wing and ardently Zionist. Read more
Published on October 11, 2001 by "israeli-american"
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