“From the beginning of their colonization of Palestine, the architects of the Zionist ‘dream’ excluded from consideration its potential consequences for the Palestinians. The reality of Zionism as translated on the ground was rarely perceived as diverging from the dream, which was (and still is) regarded as pristine; any divergence between the reality and the dream was only a momentary aberration from the dream. Thus, the ineluctable link between Zionist action and Palestinian reaction was banished from Zionist consciousness… A victim’s obsession with the past is often the concomitant of a vengeful disposition, and protagonists have habitually compiled ‘historical records’ of their conflicts as a prelude to each other’s delegitimitization. But a retrospective glance can also serve a constructive purpose. That is the intent of this book, which, it is hoped, will shed some light on the Palestinians as a people in Palestine before their diaspora, and on the genesis and evolution of the Palestine problem during its formative phase.” A fascinating parallel view of the establishment of Israel is shown through beautifully reproduced archival photos of both the conflicts between Arab and Jew and the everyday life of the Palestinians in their homeland.

Publisher: Institute for Palestine Studies
Paperback: 351 pages
Illustrated