The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine

I'm still reading it! Apparently written by an Israeli 9or Israel-based) Journalist, in the 2000s, yet sounds as if it is writing about precisely what is happening right now, (in 2025). This appears to be such a cyclical conflict--apparently without resolution. This book goes back to the very beginnings of the period before the "Zionist" movement began, in Europe, in the 1800s. It analyses the role of the Ottoman, then, the British empires, in the formation, and motivations of the Israelis, delving deeply into what the author says are "previously-unreleased documents". It is a very tough book to read, as it delves into difficult issues, on BOTH sides. Until both sides decide to let go of pre-conceived "destinies" and/or "victimhood" this story will continue to repeat itself, over and over again. This book was initially published in 2006, yet, as I read it, it seems as if it is a Real-time reel of what's been happening, since ça. 2022. Very well-researched, and written. (A sad note about this book: My copy was actually a barely-read, removed copy, from a state's public library system. I can't stop asking myself, why such a book would've been removed from the statewide library system, being that it is so contemporary). Both sides of the story must be looked at, not just the side this book concerns itself with.

This is a stunning and relentless collection of evidence. Pappe uses things such as military archives (opened in the 1990s), diary entries from Ben-Gurion, and oral histories from Hagana soldiers and Palestinians. He gives lengthy, village-by-village accounts of the destruction of homes and expulsion of residents. The expulsions were guided by files of the Jewish National Fund, which had been gathering intelligence data on the demographics of the villages for decades. It is hard to think of a book that is more opposite of a commonly accepted history than this one. According to Pappe, 1948 was not a desperate fight for survival by a surrounded Jewish enclave, it was a Zionist attack on the countryside. Most of the fighting stemmed from the Hagana's systematic destruction of 400 Palestinian villages. Most refugees were driven out BEFORE the main war started on May 15, 1948. Arab armies did intervene in a haphazard attempt to defend Palestinian sections (as set by the UN partition plan), but they were always out gunned, out numbered and out coordinated by the Hagana. Jordan, in particular, had a secret agreement with the Zionists to annex the West Bank in return for not joining an invasion of Israel. So the most effective Arab army, (and a Jordanian also commanded the pan-Arab "Arab Liberation Army") was not trying to destroy Israel, only protect its own designs on the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Among many pieces of evidence, Pappe argues that the Arab attack on Israel was so weak (despite public pronouncements of impending doom from Ben-Gurion) that the Hagana never had to be diverted from its main task of ethnic cleansing. It was able to hold off the sporadic pan-Arab attacks, and depopulate the countryside at the same time. It was assisted in this by large shipments of arms from Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union, while Britain and France embargoed arms to the Arabs. The private conversations of Ben-Gurion and his associates show great confidence they could defeat the Arab attacks, which amounted to little more than face-saving gestures by Arab governments who were only recently independent themselves. There is also a very interesting chapter on the literal erasure of the existence of Palestine. Parks and newly planted forests in Israel now cover the foundations of numerous Palestinian villages. An Israeli "Naming Committee" was formed to give Hebrew names to the features of the countryside that were once Arab, with special attention to creating links to the Israel of 2,000 years ago, while ignoring last week's residents. The Byra forest tourist destination, for example, contains no reference to the six villages that were wiped from the map there. For decades, kids in Hebrew schools in the US collected coins to plant trees in Israel. Those same trees now hide stone foundations of nameless villages. Trees in Israeli forests are only 11% indigenous, the rest were planted in recent decades. So not just the people were cleansed, the memory too. This book deserves to be the center of an international discussion about Palestine, but a crushing silence is the more likely result.

This book is an honest and detailed account of how the Zionist movement planned and carried out the heinous crime of systematically forcing the Palestinian people out of Palestine and establishing Israel as a state for Zionist settlers coming from foreign lands. This was committed under a huge campaign of misinformation and coverup utilising the vast resources of the western governments who conspired to victimize the Palestinians. Humanity owes Ilan Pappe, the author of this book, a big favor for his efforts for finally setting the record straight, and documenting the facts of Palestinian 'Nakba' or catastrophe. This book unveils the true and ugly face of Zionism as a racist movement. It is quite clear now after over a hundred years since the first Zionist conference in Basel, Switzerland, that Zionism was a bad idea turned into a nightmare when implemented. So far, Israel is embattled and living in a state of continuous war with all its surroundings. Keeping Israel alive proved to be very costly undertaking both in terms of lives wasted everyday in fighting and in terms of financial cost to sustain the economy and military machine of Israel. The hefty financial cost is mostly carried by the USA but for how long? How can the wise people in Israel fail to see this failure of the Zionist idea? How can they not see that there are alternatives that will ensure peaceful coexistence with Palestinians in a democratic Palestine? The author represents the voice of conscience and fairness as well as academic honesty and professionalism. The atrocities committed by Zionists against the Palestinian people will never be forgotten and will come back to haunt the Israelis for generations to come. Nothing short of the full recognition of the Palestinian people's right to their homeland of Palestine, as well as full reparation for the enormous suffering and damages inflicted on them by the creation of the State of Israel, would bring closure to this problem. The area will not see peace before the Palestinians restore their full rights. The unconditional return of any and all Palestinians to Palestine is an unalienable right that may not be compromised. It is ironic to note that the Palestinians (generally Muslims and Christians) have never had any issues with jews as followers of another religion. Jews have never been mistreated or persecuted by the Palestinians. Jews, on the other hand, were persecuted in Europe. Why should the Palestinians pay the price? The advent of the Zionist movement appeared to have poisoned relations in the region as a whole. The wretched camps of Palestinian refugees scattered in various Middle Eastern countries and inside Palestine still stand for almost 60 years as a harsh reminder of the problems created by the creation of Israel at the expense of the Palestinian people. Inspite of all what happened, just and equitable peace is still possible. This is not to say that the Israelis should necessarily be forced out of the land they unlawfully usurped from the Palestinians. It only means that Israel as a Zionist i.e. racist state should be peacefully dismantled, and in its place a democratic state is established where all citizens are equal regardless of their religion or race. Any Israeli who accepts to live in a democratic Palestine as an equal citizen shall be welcome to stay. Those who do not accept equality with other citizens should find another place to live (perhaps return to the countries where they originally came to Palestine from). In its long history, Palestine has seen many invaders come and go. But the Palestinian people always emerged back and maintained its identity. The Israeli barbaric atrocities to obliterate, vilify, and eradicate the Palestinian people and its culture will not succeed despite the unprecedented savagery the Israelis used gainst the Palestinians. The ethnic cleansing of Palestine did not stop after achieving the massive depopulation of Palestine in the years 1948 and 1949. In fact, ethnic cleansing continued to the present time and is still ongoing. It takes various forms such as deportation of Palestinians, demolition of Palestinian houses, and denying the Palestinians permits to build houses or rebuild old ones. Israel also resorts to the strangulation of Palestinian economy forcing people to finally leave the country to seek jobs and settle abroad. If all that does not work, outright assassination is used to get rid of Palestinians. This is taking place under the watch of the whole world who gives lip service to human rights and Palestinian right to self-determination. History will not forgive the world which stood by totally oblivious to the Israeli crimes, and ignoring the suffering of the Palestinians. This book is must reading for anyone interested in peace and justice on Earth.

Ilan Pappé escreve em muitos detalhes os eventos antes, durante, e após a execução do plano de Ben Gurion para limpeza étnica da Palestina. É descrito não apenas a expulsão do povo palestino de suas terras, mas também o minucioso planejamento que antecedeu o evento e os grandes esforços para tentar esconder os crimes cometidos e apagar a memória dos palestinos.

An excellent and meticulously researched historical text. The level of cold, calculated brutality and unprovoked savagery used against a largely peaceful peasant population usually offering little or no resistance, a population quite unprepared for a war, who were usually just 'going about their business', is absolutely shocking. As is the clinical pre-planning and ruthless, cold efficiency with which the plan was then carried out. It is no exaggeration to compare what happened with the Nazi push into the Baltic states and Russia in the early 1940's. The reality of what actually happened during the years 1948-49, compared with the 'official' Israeli version, is astonishing. This is a subject I have had an interest in for some considerable time now, but despite my interest and knowledge of the subject, I was not prepared for the detail. The unnecessary nastiness and inhumanity of the jewish forces, is really hard to come to terms with. It is also interesting to compare the present day horror and outrage that is expressed at the actions of a 'suicide bomber' with events in early 1948 [when there was no war]. The Stern Gang and Hagana routinely threw bombs into CIVILIAN Palestinian gatherings and blew up houses with all the occupants asleep inside, often killing scores of people, simply to terrorise the population into fleeing Palestine. I am also deeply ashamed of the role [or non-role] played by the British forces, with one or two notable exceptions, [and the Bevin Government] who, until May 1948, were still officially charged with upholding law and order in Palestine. Anyone who still buys the notion that the events at Quana, the murder of the UN workers [despite hours of telephone conversations], the very high civilian casualty rates during the 2006 push into Lebanon, the deaths on the beach in Gaza and so on, were all REALLY accidental, should read this book. This particular brand of terror is long established practice by the Israelis. In fact, it is hard to understand how most of our media and politicians, people who have chosen to make a career informing the rest of us about what goes on, in and around the world, seem remarkably oblivious to this information. Well, there are no excuses now are there ? I am not sure how anyone could [intelligently] argue that this is 'a piece of anti-zionist fiction' as one of your reviewers suggests, it is far too factually based and closely referenced. It IS a testament to the power of the Israeli lobby and their campaign of distortion and misinformation that we are still presented by most of the media for most of the time the image of Israel as the victim in the Middle East. Now THAT is a piece of PRO-zionist fiction. Excellent, though disturbing book.

Excellent book

In “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine,” lo storico israeliano Ilan Pappé offre una ricostruzione profonda e documentata degli eventi del 1948 che portarono alla nascita dello Stato d’Israele e all’esodo forzato di centinaia di migliaia di palestinesi. Basandosi su fonti d’archivio storiche e testimonianze verificate, Pappé sfida le versioni “ufficiali” dimostrando come la “Nakba” non fu una semplice conseguenza del conflitto, ma il risultato di un piano sistematico volto all’espulsione della popolazione araba dalla propria terra. Il libro è uno sguardo coraggioso e provocatorio sulla storia del conflitto israelo-palestinese, che spinge il lettore a mettere in discussione ciò che crede di sapere e ad approfondire le complesse radici di una delle crisi geopolitiche più durature del nostro tempo.

A must read for anyone who wants to understand the history of this region and the reasons why things are how they are today. Ilan Pappe is one of the most eminent historians on the subject. I bought this book previously but this time for my brother's birthday.