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From the Balfour Declaration to the Current Conflict: How is Western Power Changing the Destiny of Palestine?
In "Palestine's Hundred Years' War: A History of Colonial Expansion and Resistance, 1917-2017," Rashid Khalidi describes how Western power changed the history and destiny of Palestine through its power and influence. This 2020 book conducts a thorough examination of the loss and plunder suffered by the Palestinians, puts forward a series of "declaration of war" viewpoints, and deeply analyzes the colonial context behind these events.
Rachid Khalidi believes that the Palestinian struggle should be understood as a colonial war and not as an equal struggle between two national movements on the same land.
The First Declaration of War: 1917-1939
In the first chapter of the book, Khalidi reviews the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and the subsequent establishment of the Mandate for Palestine, revealing the neglect of Arabs and their national rights in these documents. He pointed out that British support promoted Jewish colonization in Palestine, but completely ignored the local Arab people and their rights.
The Second Declaration of War: 1947-1948
Moving into chapter two, Khalidi turns to 1947, when the United States replaced Britain as the new imperial power and pushed for the United Nations' partition resolution. This resolution approved the establishment of Israel, but at the expense of the Palestinians' right to national self-determination. The subsequent Arab-Israeli war and its disaster caused the Palestinians to suffer a serious fate of exile and loss of their homes.
About 700,000 Palestinians are in exile in border countries. All this is the result of the conspiracy of the United States and Western forces.
The Third Declaration of War: 1967
The third chapter of the book mentions the 1967 Six-Day War, criticizing the United States' role in this provision - supporting Israel's preemptive attacks and legitimizing its occupation. Khalidi described this as an act of colonial empowerment that failed to take into account Palestinians and their rights.
The Fourth War Declaration: 1982
In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon to eliminate the Palestine Liberation Organization, which Khalidi regarded as the result of US-Israeli conspiracy. In this chapter, he shares his personal experience in Beirut, revealing the political manipulation and humanitarian disaster behind it.
The Fifth War Declaration: 1987-1995
Khalidi’s fifth chapter explores the Israeli counterattack and the support of Western countries after the First Intifada (Intifada), criticizing the Oslo Accords for failing to meet the basic needs of Palestine, but instead strengthening the conflict between the United States and Israel. bond, which defines another "declaration of war" against Palestine recognized by the international community.
This agreement is another endorsement of Palestinian resistance by the United States in the process of Israeli colonialism.
The Sixth War Declaration: 2000-2014
In the final chapter, Khalidi details Israel’s violence against Palestine from 2000 to 2014, specifically highlighting the U.S. support behind these four conflicts and emphasizing that the source of these weapons affected the course of the war. As a result, countless deaths and losses occurred.
All these conflicts reflect the indifference and interference of Western countries in the fate of Palestine.
"Palestine's Hundred Years' War" serves as an important reference document on this issue, striving to provide mainstream American readers with a deeper understanding of the complexity of Palestine's history and present.
The question is, in the face of long-term and systematic intervention by Western forces, what is the hope for the future of Palestine?
