The Palestinian Forum for Israeli Studies
Eitan Bronstein Aparicio, the founder of Zochrot, and his partner Eleonore Merza Bronstein share their personal experiences and deep explorations of the Nakba and its impact on their political identities in their dialogue. The authors engage in a profound reevaluation of their personal memories and their roles within the Israeli colonial experience, unveiling how the Israeli hegemonic narrative has overwhelmingly dominated public consciousness. They shed light on the mechanisms used to uphold this narrative while simultaneously denying the existence of Palestine and its tragic erasure.
This extensive and comprehensive work delves deep into the organized looting operations carried out by Zionist Jewish residents, specifically targeting the movable assets of Palestinian Arabs who were forcibly displaced from their cities and towns during the Nakba (catastrophe). Adam Raz's meticulous research draws from a rich array of diverse archival materials, including poignant testimonies that not only unveil the stark realities of systematic mass looting but also shed light on the intricate internal political discourse surrounding these events.
"The Optimist: A Social Biography of Tawfiq Zayyad" by Tamir Sorek presents the first-ever social biography of Tawfiq Zayyad (1929-1994), a renowned Palestinian poet, activist, and leader.
The book provides a detailed account of Zayyad's life, starting from his childhood in Palestine during the British Mandate era, his involvement with the Israeli Communist Party following the 1948 Nakba, and his transformation into a revolutionary poet in the 1960s. The book highlights the critical role that Zayyad and his contemporaries played in shaping Palestinian national identity through their poetic expressions.
Yishai Sarid's novel "The Third" is a compelling piece of dystopian literature. It is set in a future where nuclear devastation has ravaged Israel's coastal cities, including Tel Aviv; the novel revolves around the rise and fall of the "Third Temple." The plot is ignited by a renegade astronomer who brings back divine revelation in the Negev, reverting to ancient religious practices and uniting the surviving people in the mountains.
The book "The Meaning of Israel," authored by Jacob M. Rabkin and skillfully translated into Arabic by Hassan Khadir, offers a comprehensive and critical examination that evaluates Zionism and Israel through the prism of Jewish religious principles and references. It sheds a revealing light on the historical resistance within the Jewish community to Zionism, drawing upon less commonly referenced rabbinical sources in this context.
"Emptied Lands: A Legal Geography of Bedouin Rights in the Negev," authored by Alexandre Kedar, Ahmad Amara, and Oren Yiftachel, presents a comprehensive examination of the political and legal arguments surrounding the Israeli doctrine aimed at Judaizing the Negev region. The doctrine seeks to disavow the historical connections and rights of the indigenous population in the area while forcibly displacing and depriving Palestinians of their rightful space for natural growth.
"Either Us or Them – The Battle of Al-Qastal: The Decisive 24 Hours," authored by Danny Rubinstein, an Israeli journalist renowned for his expertise in Palestinian affairs. This work represents the first Hebrew in-depth biography of Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini, an influential figure in the events of 1948. Rubinstein delves into al-Husseini's major roles and actions during April 1948, with a special focus on the critical Battle of al-Qastal. He observes that while numerous studies have covered the battles for Jerusalem, particularly al-Qastal, most have relied on Israeli and international sources, frequently neglecting Arabic references. This oversight is often due to the scarcity and inaccessibility of these sources, alongside linguistic barriers. Furthermore, the credibility of Arabic sources is sometimes diminished by Israeli and international academics, occasionally influenced by ideological biases.
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The Repercussions of the War against Gaza on Israel's Relations with Russia and Turkey: Will There Be Fundamental Changes?
On the collapse of the concept of "moving away from America and the West and replacing them with new friends": "Netanyahu was looking for comfortable political partners, even at the cost of harming Israel's national security."
Israeli Affairs (Issue no. 91)
