Select Bibliography on the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict: Books, Journals, Magazines, Websites. The bibliography is annotated and offers a set of comprehensive listings for those wanting to learn more about the issues. It can be downloaded with the Fact Sheets and used for educational programs, as well as for press packages.
BOOKS
Abu-Amr, Ziad, Islamic Fundamentalism in the West Bank and Gaza (Indiana University Press, 1994). Traces the emergence of Islamic Jihad and Hamas.
Abu-Lughod, Ibrahim (ed), The Transformation of Palestine (Northwestern University Press, 1971). A series of original essays exposing the methods and process by which the Zionist movement transformed Arab Palestine into Israel.
___________________ (ed), The Arab-Israeli Confrontation of June 1967: An Arab Perspective (Northwestern University Press, 1970). A series of essays demonstrating the various ways in which the June 1967 war was portrayed to enhance Israel’s image and to demonize Arabs.
___________________ et al(eds.), The Landscape of Palestine: Equivocal Poetry (Birzeit University Publications, 1999). A long overdue set of corrective essays to the disfigured portrayal of Palestine and Palestinians that has been sculpted over decades and centuries by Westerners.
Adams, Michael & Christopher Mayhew, Publish It Not (Longman Group, 1975). Reviews the media restrictions on publishing Palestinian/Arab views.
Adams, James, Israel and South Africa: The Unnatural Alliance (Quartet Books, 1984). Focuses on the military alliance between Israel and apartheid South Africa in the 1970s and early 80s.
Aruri, Nasser (ed), Occupation, Israel over Palestine (AAUG Press, rev. ed., 1989). A set of essays examining the Israeli occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
Aruri, Naseer, The Obstruction of Peace: The US, Israel and the Palestinians (Common Courage Press, 1995). The Oslo "peace process" is placed within the context of the US-Israel special relationship and is viewed as a "repackaging" of the occupation.
Aruri, Naseer (ed.), Palestinian Refugees and Their Right of Return (Pluto, forthcoming 2001). A comprehensive set of political, social, economic and legal essays focused on the plight and legal struggle of Palestinian refugees to secure their right of return.
Asali, K.J. (ed.), Jerusalem in History (interlink Publishers, 1999). This book offers a comprehensive outline of the history of Jerusalem from the Bronze age to the tensions of present-day Jerusalem. It corrects the distorted images of the city presented over the last few decades.
Ateek, Naim, Justice and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation (Orbis Books,1990). Ateek applies the Liberation Theology he learned at a San Francisco seminary to the struggle for Palestinian self-determination. His approach is ecumenical, nonviolent, and inclusive, one aimed at bringing peace to all of the inhabitants of Palestine/Israel.
Beinin, Joel & Zachary Lockman, (eds.), Intifada: The Palestinian Uprising against Israeli Occupation (South End Press, 1989). Different writers describe the forces leading to the uprising which began in December 1987 and the US and Israeli responses.
Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin, The Israeli Connection: Who Israel Arms and Why (Pantheon Books, 1987). Israel's dirty work is laid bare in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.
Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin, Original Sins: Reflections on the History of Zionism and Israel (Pluto Press, 1992). A thought-provoking distillation of the ideas behind Zionism, their origins, and consequences.
Benvenisti, Meron, Sacred Landscape: The Buried History of the Holy Land Since 1948 (University of California Press, 2000). Traces the original Palestinian geography of villages within Israel proper and explains how a Palestinian physical and human landscape was transformed into an Israeli state.
Chacour, Fr. Elias, Blood Brothers (Chosen Books Publishing Co., 1987). A touching account of Fr. Chacour’s life as a Palestinian Arab, his memories of being expelled from his village when the Zionists took over the major portion of Palestine. While the memories are painful, Fr. Chacour harbors neither bitterness nor hate toward Israelis. He speaks to justice and equality for both peoples.
Chesin, Amir, & Bill Hutman and Avi Melamed, Separate and Unequal: The Inside Story of Israeli Rule in Jerusalem (Harvard University Press, 1999). A scathing expo of persistent Israeli discriminatory practices against Jerusalem Arabs. Chesin and Melamed were onetime aides to former Jerusalem mayor, Teddy Kollek, and Hutman was formerly associated with the Jerusalem Post.
Chomsky, Noam, The Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel and the Palestinians (South End Press, 1983). A far-ranging review of the US-Israeli relationship and its impact on Palestinians.
Dajani, Souad, Eyes without Country (Temple University, 1994). After reviewing Israeli practices in the occupied territories, the author develops a strategy of nonviolent civilian resistance.
Davis, Uri, Israel: An Apartheid State (Zed Books, 1987). A look at the institutions and plans which embody the principles of apartheid in Israel.
Ellis, Marc, Toward a Jewish Theology of Liberation: The Uprising and the Future,(Orbis Books, rev. ed.,1989). A plea for restoration of the tradition of justice in Judaism to be applied to Palestine and Palestinians.
Farsoun, Samih with Christina Zacharia, Palestine and the Palestinians (Westview Press, 1997). The only sophisticated textbook on the question of Palestine with an important political economy analysis of Palestinian class relations and economic foundations before the Nakba.
Findley, Paul, They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby (Lawrence Hill, 1989). A former Congressman writes about the impact of the pro-Israel lobby on US politics, academia, religious groups and the media.
Findley, Paul, Deliberate Deceptions: Facing the Facts About the U.S.-Israeli Relationship (American Educational Trust, reprinted edition, 1995). A concise question/answer response to Myths and Facts put out by the Near East Report (AIPAC).
Finkelstein, Norman, Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict (Verso Press, 1995). Offers critical and scholarly analysis of the apologist studies for Israeli misdoings, and exposes the falsity of their arguments. Finkelstein exposes Benny Morris, whose studies of the Palestinian refugee problem brings to light many documents demonstrating expulsion while Morris himself tries to make a case that the expulsion was born of war, not by design.
__________________, The Rise and Fall of Palestine: A Personal Account of the Intifada Years (University of Minnesota Press, 1996). A critical look at the Oslo "peace process."
___________________, The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering (Verso, 2000). Examines the manipulation of the Holocaust and the extortion involved in compensation claims.
Flapan, Simha, Zionism and the Palestinians (Croom & Helm, 1979). Zionist letters and documents relating to attitudes toward, and plans against Palestinians.
_____________, The Birth of Israel: Myths and Realities (Pantheon, 1987). A revisionist look at Israel's early history by one of the "new historians," based on original sources made public in the mid 1980s.
Friedman, Robert, Zealots for Zion: Inside Israel's West Bank Settlement Movement (Random House, 1992). A description of the mindset of settlers, both religious and commuter, and their supporters within Israel and the US.
Grossman, David, Sleeping on a Wire (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1993). Experiences of the author during his adoption of a Palestinian identity to understand how Israel treats Palestinians.
Hadawi, Sami, Bitter Harvest: A Modern History of Palestine, revised and updated (Interlink Publishers, revised and updated version, 1998). An examination of Palestinian history, from before the Balfour Declaration to the uprising that began in 1987.
Halsell, Grace, Journey to Jerusalem (Macmillan, 1987). A report on the author’s journey to Jerusalem, the transformation of Jerusalem, and the plight of Palestinian Christians.
Hass, Amira, Drinking the Sea at Gaza: Days and Nights in a Land Under Siege (Henry Holt, 1999). A penetrating look at Gaza since Oslo by an Israeli journalist.
Heikal, Mohamed, Secret Channels: The Inside Story of Arab-Israeli Peace Negotiations (Harper Collins, 1996). Heikal takes the reader through the various stages of negotiations between Israel and the Arabs, and brings us first hand accounts of what went on, up to and including Oslo and some of its derivative agreements. An important work by a major player.
Hersh, Seymour, The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy (Random House, 1991). How Israel developed its nuclear arsenal and what this means for the Middle East and the US.
Hitchens, Christopher and Edward Said, Blaming the Victims: Spurious Scholarship and the Palestinian Question (Verso, 1988). Essays look at the attempt to deny Palestinian claims to a homeland.
Hunter, Jane, Israeli Foreign Policy: South Africa and Central America (South End Press, 1987). How and why Israel supported apartheid South Africa, the contras, and the repressive regimes of Guatemala and El Salvador.
John, Robert & Sami Hadi, The Palestine Diary, Volumes I (1914-1945) and II (1945-1948) (Palestine Research Center, Beirut, 1970). A chronological exposition of the various events and actions that led to the Palestinian Catastrophe.
Kawar, Amal, Daughters of Palestine: Leading Women of the Palestinian National Movement (State University of New York, 1996). Profiles of Palestinian women active in the struggle for Palestinian rights.
Khalidi, Rashid, Palestinian Identity (Columbia University Press, 1998). A systematic presentation of original data regarding the emergence of a distinct Palestinian identity.
Khalidi, Walid, From Haven to Conquest (Institute for Palestine Studies, 1971), Readings in Zionism and the Palestine Problem until 1948. A presentation of original documents regarding Zionist intentions in Palestine.
______________, Before their Diaspora (1991), A beautifully illustrated history of the Palestinians between 1876-1948.
______________, All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied & Depopulated by Israel in 1948 (Institute for Palestine Studies, 1992). Accurate data on each village is presented.
Lilienthal, Alfred, The Zionist Connection II: What Price Peace? (Dodd & Mead, New York, 1978) A comprehensive volume that describes the shaping of US opinion in response to the emergence of Israel and Israel as occupier.
Lynd, Staughton et al (eds.), Homeland: Oral Histories of Palestine and Palestinians (Interlink Publishers, 1998). A series of moving oral histories.
Mallison, Thomas & Sally Mallison, The Palestinian Problem in International Law and World Order (Longman Group, 1986). Demonstrates that international law favors the Palestinian case.
Mansour, Camille, Beyond Alliance: Israel in U.S. Foreign Policy (Institute of Palestine Studies,1994). An exploration of the American foreign policy establishment’s competing views of “Israel as a strategic asset” and Israel as a burden”.
Masalha, Nur, Expulsion of the Palestinians: The Concept of ‘Transfer’ in Zionist Political Thought, 1882-1948 (Institute for Palestine Studies, 1992). A review of Zionist documents related to the intentional planning of expulsion of Palestinians from Palestine.
____________, Imperial Israel and the Palestinians: The Politics of Expansion (Pluto Press, 2000). Explores the Zionist discussion surrounding the establishment of Eretz Israel.
Mattar, Phillip (ed.), Encyclopedia of the Palestinians (Facts on File, 2000). An important resource work brings together a wealth of documented information on Palestine past and present, with coverage of the major traditional families of Palestine.
Metzger, Jan et al, This Land is Our Land: The West Bank under Israeli Occupation (Zed Press, 1983). A detailed look at the early years of Israel's creeping annexation of the West Bank.
Morris, Benny, The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1947-1949 (Cambridge University Press, 1989). Morris exposes the numerous expulsions of Palestinians during this period, but his commitment to zionism leads him to conclude that the expulsions were a result of war and not by design. The documents he uncovers speak otherwise.
_____________, Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-1999 (Knopf, 1999). A comprehensive history of the military and diplomatic aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He notes and documents that contrary to the popular belief that the Zionists were the military underdog in the 1948 war, they actually enjoyed clear military and strategic superiority.
___________, Correcting a Mistake – Jews and Arabs in Palestine/Israel, 1936-1956 (Am Oved Publishers, 2000). This book “is a collection of articles that come together to form a gripping, infuriating collage of injustices committed between 1936-1956 by the Jewish community of Palestine, and thereafter, the state, against the native Palestinians.” However, Morris being a Zionist, “He is more concerned with his historical findings than he is with their political and moral implications.” (Both quotes are from Gideon Levy’s review in Haaretz, November 3, 2000).
Murray, Nancy, Palestinians: Life Under Occupation (MEJN, 1991). A straightforward account of life before and after the occupation. Illustrated with photographs and maps.
Nassar, Jamal & Roger Heacock (eds.), Intifada (Praeger, 1990). A series of excellent papers on the first intifada.
Neff, Donald, Warriors for Jerusalem: The Six Days that Changed the Middle East (Amana, 1988). This account of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war undermines many of the myths of the "defensive war" fought by Israel.
Neff, Donald, Fallen Pillars: US Policy towards Palestine and Israel since 1945 (Institute for Palestine Studies, 1995). A thoroughly researched account of the development of the "special relationship", and the contradictions between what the US proclaimed as its policy and what it put into practice.
Palumbo, Michael, The Palestinian Catastrophe: The 1948 Expulsion of a People from Their Homeland (Quartet, 1987). Using U.N. documents and other archival material, Palumbo details the Israeli strategy and actions of expulsion during the war of 1948 to conquer Palestine.
________________, Imperial Israel: The History of the Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza (Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd., 1990). An overview of Israel's expansionism and efforts to "de-Arabize" Palestinian territory.
Pappe, Ilan, The Making of the Arab-Israeli: 1947-1951 Conflict (I.B. Tauris, 1994). A "new" Israeli historian looks at the period 1947-1951,which includes the UN partition plan, the 1948 war, and its aftermath. In the process, he destroys the Israeli myths of Zionist innocence regarding the Palestinian Nakba.
___________ (ed.), Israel/Palestine Question: Rewriting Histories (Routledge, 1999). A collection that challenges the pro-Israeli historians and suggests a far more nuanced view of the conflict.
Prior, Fr. Michael, Zionism and the State of Israel: A Moral Inquiry (Routledge, 1999). Fr. Prior presents an articulate, but controversial, analysis of the use of the Bible as legitimization for the implementation of the Zionist program in Palestine.
Quigley, John, Palestine and Israel: A Challenge to Justice (Duke University Press, 1990). A legal analysis of the legitimate rights of Palestinians.
Rokach, Livia, Israel’s Sacred Terrorism (AAUG, 1980). The author translated sections of the diaries of Israel’s first Foreign Minister, Moshe Sharett, which demonstrate the various machinations used by Israel to undermine Arab nationalism.
Rouhana, Nadim, Palestinian Citizens in an Ethnic Jewish State: Identities in Conflict (Yale University Press, 1997). The author exposes the many ways in which Israel discriminates against its Palestinian citizen because it defines itself as a state of the Jewish people, and not of all its citizens.
Roy, Sara, The Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-development (Institute for Palestine Studies, rev. ed., 2000). The best analysis of the way in which Israel systematically destroyed the Palestinian economy in the occupied territories so as to preclude an economic undergirding of a viable Palestinian state. The book is rich in data.
Rubenberg, Cheryl, Israel and the American National Interest (University of Illinois Press, 1986). An examination of Israel's "special relationship" with the US.
Said, Edward, The Question of Palestine (Vintage, 1980). A beautifully written description of Western and Israeli attitudes towards Palestinians.
____________, After the Last Sky (Pantheon, 1986). A portrait of the Palestinian people, with pictures by Jean Mohr. Moving reflections by Said.
____________, The Politics of Dispossession: The Struggle for Palestinian Self-Determination, 1969-1994 (Pantheon Books, 1994). Essays on Palestine and the Palestinians, the Arab World, Politics and Intellectuals.
____________, Peace and its Discontents: Essays on Palestine in the Middle East Peace Process (Vintage Books, 1995). Why the Oslo "peace process" failed.
____________, The End of the Peace Process: Oslo and After (Pantheon, 2000). A collection of Said’s essays on the Oslo process.
Sayigh, Rosemary, Palestinians: From Peasants to Revolutionaries: A People’s History (Zed Press, 1979). The story of Palestinian Refugees turned revolutionaries.
________________, Too Many Enemies (Zed Press,1994). The Reality of Palestinian Refugee life.
Segev, Tom, The Seventh Million: The Israelis and the Holocaust (Hill and Wang, 1993). A pioneering study of the effect and manipulation of the Holocaust within Israel.
__________, One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate (Metropolitan Books, 2000). Exploration of the period before the creation Israel when Britain ruled over “one Palestine, complete”, and when its promise to both Jews and Arabs that they would have the land, set in motion the conflict that continues to haunt the region today.
Selzer, Michael (ed.), Zionism Reconsidered: The Problems of Jewish Nationalism and Normalcy: Dissenting Views (Macmillan, 1970). An excellent collection of essays written by Jews who feared the growth of strident Jewish nationalism. Of particular worth is the essay by Hannah Arendt, “Zionism Reconsidered.”
______________, The Aryanization of the Jewish State (Black Star, 1967). A treatise on Jewish identity and the state of Israel by former liaison officer of the Council of the Sephardi Community in Jerusalem.
Shahak, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand Years (Pluto Press, 1994). A provocative study of Jewish fundamentalism and its political consequences.
______________, Israel’s Global Role: Weapons for Repression (AAUG, 1982). Based almost exclusively on Israeli sources, Shahak’s study delineates the Israeli role in supplying weapons & training to US client regimes and surrogates around the world, particularly in Africa and Central America.
Shlaim, Avi, Collusion Across the Jordan: King Abdullah, The Zionist Movement & The Partition of Palestine (Columbia University Press, 1988). Expose of the Jordanian/Zionist agreements regarding Palestine.
Shlaim, Avi, The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World (WW. Norton & Co.,1999).
Shlaim “highlights some of the often untold aspects of Israeli history. His account is ... balanced ..., though that means that he is often critical of U.S., British, and Israeli policy. However, it does not mean that his perspective is seriously distorted in favor of the Palestinians.” (From a review by Benjamin Schroeter).
Shehadeh, Raja, Occupier's Law: Israel and the West Bank (Institute for Palestine Studies, 1988). A Palestinian lawyer documents the impact of de facto annexation on the people of the West Bank.
Sprinzak Ehud, The Ascendance of Israel's Radical Right (Oxford University Press, 1991). An Israeli political scientist traces the emergence of Israel's radical right, and its growing strength in Israeli political life.
Stevens, Richard & Abdelwahab Elmessiri, Israel and South Africa: The Progression of a Relationship (North American, 1977). Essays examine the interplay of forces that led to the creation of Israel and its strong relationship with the previously white settler-controlled state of South Africa.
Teveth, Shabatai, Ben Gurion and the Palestinian Arabs: From Peace to War (Oxford University Press, 1985). The author discloses that as early as 1936, Ben Gurion had decided that the only relationship possible with Palestinians was a “military” one, and elaborates Ben Gurion’s two-stage approach to convert all of Palestine into a Jewish State.
Usher, Graham, Palestine in Crisis: The Struggle for Peace and Political Independence after Oslo (Pluto Press, 1995). The background to the Oslo agreement and its political and economic ramifications.
Warnock, Kitty, Land Before Honour: Palestinian Women in the Occupied Territories (Monthly Review Press, 1990). A description of women's position in traditional Palestinian society and their participation in the national movement.
Weinstock, Nathan, Zionism: False Messiah (Pluto Press, 1979). A history of Zionism to 1948.
JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES
Arab Studies Quarterly
A publication of the Association of Arab-American University Graduates & the Institute of Arab Studies. This Quarterly covers a wide range of Palestinian/Arab issues, including politics, economy, and culture.
Write to the Quarterly at AAUG, 4201 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20008. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine Information Papers.
Thematic publications based on talks at the CPAP in Washington. Back issues contain information on the right of return, and US policy and the Oslo process.
Write to CPAP, 2435 Virginia Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20037 or telephone (202) 338-1290. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Journal of Palestine Studies
This Quarterly on Palestinian Affairs and the Arab-Israeli Conflict is produced by the Institute for Palestine Studies and Kuwait University. As well as scholarly articles, it also contains documents and source material, and a bibliography of periodical literature.
Write to the Journal of Palestine Studies, Institute for Palestine Studies, 3501 M Street, NW, Washington DC 20007 or telephone (202) 342-3990.
Middle East Policy
A quarterly journal published by the Middle East Policy Council covering Arab regional issues, including Palestine/Israel.
Write to the Journal at M.E. Policy, 1730 M Street, N.W., Suite 512, Washington, D.C. 20036. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Between the Lines
Several issues per year with featured articles on current events in Palestine/Israel.
Write to Between the Lines, P.O. Box 681, Jerusalem. Email the editors at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . (There is an underscore between toufic and haddad.)
Middle East International
25 issues per year which will keep you up-to-date on current developments in the region.
Write to MEI c/o Randa Kayyali, P.O. Box 17368, Arlington, VA 22216. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or editorial office at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Middle East Report
12 issues per year, each issue addressing relevant contemporary issues throughout the Middle East.
Write to MERIP, 1500 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Suite 119, Washington, D.C 20005 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (Chris Toensing, Editor of M.E. Report)
News from Within
Published by the Alternative Information Center in Israel, it combines political activism with research and analysis. 12 issues a year.
Write to the AIC, News from Within, POB 31417, Jerusalem or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Palestine Report
Published weekly by the Jerusalem Media & Communication Center, it is a rich source of current information.
Write to JMCC, PO Box 25047, Jerusalem, via Israel or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Palestine & the UN: Monthly Bulletin issued by The Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations
Describes the latest UN debates and resolutions.
To get on the mission’s mailing list, write to the Permanent Observer Mission, 115 East 65th Street, NY, NY 10021 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories.
The bimonthly publication of the Foundation for Middle East Peace records settlement expansion, and includes detailed maps.
Write to the Foundation for Middle East Peace, 1763 N Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
The Link
Published by Americans for Middle East Understanding, Inc. this bimonthly publication focuses on a single theme each issue. It also prints a list of 100 books and videos for which it gives a discount.
Write to AMEU, Room 245, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.
A lengthy monthly magazine produced by the American Educational Trust which contains, among other things, useful information about the US Congress.
Write to PO Box 53062, Washington DC 20009. Telephone (202) 232-6754. Email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it