Palestine
A community for everything related to Palestine and the occupation currently underway by the occupying force known as Israel.
Anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism. Existence is resistance for Palestinians.
Please refer to Israel as Occupied Palestine, or occupied territories. The IDF is a fascist and ethnonationalist occupying force. Israelis are settlers. We understand however that the imperial narrative (which tries to legitimise Israel) is internalised in the imperial core and slip-ups are naturally expected.
We always take the sides of Palestine and Palestinians and are unapologetic about it. Israel is an occupying power whose "defence force"'s (note the contradiction) sole purpose for existing is to push Palestinians out so they can resettle their rightful land. If you have anything positive to say about Israel we do not care.
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Sorry, it took me a while to compile this list
Going All The Way by Jonathan Randal: focuses mostly on Lebanon and describes the political situation up to the 1980s. Really great detail on cultural divides in the area. But be warned it was published before Hezzbolah came to prominence, so might feel a bit dated.
1117 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric Cline: Describes the relationships of ancient people (bronze age) in the region and the importance of geography. Focuses on the Sea People and other destructions at the time that caused a collapse of all civilizations except the Egyptian. Although mostly an archaeology book, it is a great read for understanding the constant factors in the geopolitics of the region.
Jerusalem Besieged by Eric Cline: Similar to the other book but focuses on Jerusalem from ancient times to today. Helps to understand religious divides in the region.
Cypria by Alex Christofi: focuses on Cyprus since Ancient times. A lot of the history in the area revolves around control of the island. Contains information on how the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot populations were pitted against each other by British colonialists towards the end. It goes into good detail regarding power struggles in the area from ancient times to today.
The Chronicles of the Logothete by Unknown: a Medieval text describing the history of the wider region from a Roman Greek perspective.
Hope these serve as a good primer. Pick up threads from here and follow them to see where they take you.
Thanks so much for your time. I appreciate your effort a lot!!
I'll read or at least skim thru the books as I find time!
Thank you so much again!!