BOOKS TO HELP YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT

In the month of May, violence between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas reached record-highs, with a death toll that especially affected the Palestinian people. Over the course of 11 days, over 250 lives were lost. Activists and scholars took to social media to protest, educate, and dissent. An end to the conflict seems nowhere in sight, despite a ceasefire agreement last month.

The circumstances within the occupied Palestinian land hold a long and layered history. One that goes beyond the media’s reportage of events. Narratives from both sides of the occupation are pertinent in the pursuit of understanding this history and its rippling consequences to this day. In the journey towards justice, literary and narrative works are a stepping stone. Here are some works that shed light on the occupation, on the realities of the oppressed, and the search for peace.

To The End of the Land

by David Grossman

This novel tells the tale of a mother’s fierce love for her son, who is sent back to the Israeli army for an offense. Israeli author, Grossman, faced a personal tragedy himself when his son was killed whilst serving in the Israeli Defense Forces during the 2006 Lebanon War. His stories often address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Grossman staunchly supporting the solution of peace as a vocal advocate of Palestine. The bestselling book, told from the perspective of the mother, Ora, is a haunting portrait of war, nation, and family.

On Palestine

by Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappé

American philosopher and social critic Noam Chomsky perhaps needs no introduction. Chomsky, along with Israeli political activist Ilan Pappé, wove together a startling depiction of Palestine’s history. The book looks into the path Palestinians will encounter on their quest for liberation.