The Iron Cage : The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood

At a time when a lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis seems virtually unattainable, understanding the roots of the longest-running conflict in the Middle East is an essential step in restoring hope to the region. In The Iron Cage, Rashid Khalidi, one of the most respected historians and political observers of the Middle East, examines the Palestinian’s struggle for statehood, presenting a succinct and insightful history of the people and their leadership throughout the twentieth century.Ranging from the Palestinian struggle against colonial rule and the establishment of the State of Israel to the current rivalry between Hamas and Fatah, this is an unflinching and sobering critique of the Palestinian failure to achieve statehood, as well as a balanced account of the odds ranged against them. Lucid yet challenging, Rashid Khalidi’s engrossing narrative of this tortuous history is required reading for anyone concerned about peace in the Middle East. Rashid Khalidi The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for StatehoodA lucid and compelling examination of the Palestinian dilemma by "the foremost U.S. historian of the modern Middle East"In Resurrecting Empire, Rashid Khalidi dissected the failures of colonial policy over the entire span of the modern history of the Middle East, predicted the meltdown in Iraq that we are now witnessing with increasing horror, and offered viable alternatives for achieving peace in the region. His newest book, The Iron Cage, hones in on Palestinian politics and history. Once again Khalidi draws on a wealth of experience and scholarship to elucidate the current conflict, using history to provide a clear-eyed view of the situation today.The story of the Palestinian search to establish a state begins in the era of British control over Palestine and stretches between the two world wars, when colonial control of the region became increasingly unpopular and power began to shift toward the United States. In this crucial period, and in the years immediately following World War II, Palestinian leaders were unable to achieve the long-cherished goal of establishing an independent state — a critical failure that throws a bright light on the efforts of the Palestinians to create a state in the many decades since 1948. By frankly discussing the reasons behind this failure, Khalidi offers a much-needed perspective for anyone concerned about peace in the Middle East. Contents 8 Introduction: Writing Middle Eastern History in a Time of Historical Amnesia 10 1 Arab Society in Mandatory Palestine 46 David and Goliath in 1948 46 Comparing the Incomparable 54 The Palestinians and the Arab World 67 2 The Palestinians and the British Mandate 76 The Mandate’s Iron Cage 76 The Communitarian Paradigm: Invented Religious Institutions 93 3 A Failure of Leadership 110 Rivalries among the Notables 110 Radical Challenges to the Notables 120 The Challenge from the Press: 'Isa al-'Isa and Filastin 135 4 The Revolt, 1948, and Afterward 150 General Strike and Revolt 150 War, al-Nakba, and Arab Tutelage 170 5 Fateh, the PLO, and the PA: The Palestinian Para-State 185 The Palestinians after ‘Arafat 185 The PLO: Appearance and Reality 195 The PLO’s Achievements 209 The PLO’s Failures 217 6 Stateless in Palestine 227 Competing Forms of State 227 The Two-State Solution 238 Israel’s Matrix of Control 245 A One-State Solution 251 Notes 264 Acknowledgments 309 Index 312 Contents......Page 8 Introduction: Writing Middle Eastern History in a Time of Historical Amnesia......Page 10 David and Goliath in 1948......Page 46 Comparing the Incomparable......Page 54 The Palestinians and the Arab World......Page 67 The Mandate’s Iron Cage......Page 76 The Communitarian Paradigm: Invented Religious Institutions......Page 93 Rivalries among the Notables......Page 110 Radical Challenges to the Notables......Page 120 The Challenge from the Press: 'Isa al-'Isa and Filastin......Page 135 General Strike and Revolt......Page 150 War, al-Nakba, and Arab Tutelage......Page 170 The Palestinians after ‘Arafat......Page 185 The PLO: Appearance and Reality......Page 195 The PLO’s Achievements......Page 209 The PLO’s Failures......Page 217 Competing Forms of State......Page 227 The Two-State Solution......Page 238 Israel’s Matrix of Control......Page 245 A One-State Solution......Page 251 Notes......Page 264 Acknowledgments......Page 309 Index......Page 312 The story of the Palestinian search to establish a state begins in the era of British control over Palestine and stretches between the two world wars, when colonial control of the region became increasingly unpopular and power began to shift toward the United States. In this crucial period, and in the years immediately following World War II, Palestinian leaders were unable to achieve the long-cherished goal of establishing an independent state--a critical failure that throws a bright light on the efforts of the Palestinians to create a state in the many decades since 1948. By frankly discussing the reasons behind this failure, Khalidi offers a much-needed perspective for anyone concerned about peace in the Middle East.--From publisher description Rashid Khalidi brings perspective to Palestinian attempts to achieve independence and statehood. Bringing together the latest scholarship, he concentrates on the period of the British Mandate (1920-1948), describing the process by which a European Jewish minority overcame the claims and rights of the native Arab majority