The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance. 1917–2017 A 2020 book by Palestinian-American historian Rashid Khalidi.

In this work, Khalidi presents the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a century-long colonial war against the indigenous Palestinian population, supported by major powers like Britain and the United States. He structures the narrative around six pivotal events, which he terms “declarations of war,” to illustrate the systematic displacement and resistance of Palestinians over the years . Key Themes and Structure 1. Colonial Framing: Khalidi argues that the conflict should be viewed not as a symmetrical struggle between two national movements, but as a colonial endeavor to dispossess Palestinians of their homeland. 2. Six Declarations of War: The book identifies six critical episodes, including the 1917 Balfour Declaration, the 1948 Nakba, the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and the Oslo Accords, each marking a significant escalation in the conflict . 3. Personal and Scholarly Perspective: Drawing from his family’s historical involvement and his own experiences, Khalidi combines personal narratives with scholarly analysis to provide a comprehensive Palestinian viewpoint. Rashid Khalidi’s family has played a significant and deeply rooted role in Palestinian history and politics, which he draws upon extensively in The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine. Here’s a closer look at his family’s involvement: 1. Prominent Jerusalem Lineage Khalidi belongs to the al-Khalidi family, a distinguished Palestinian family based in Jerusalem for centuries. His ancestors were part of the Ottoman-era elite, holding positions of authority and scholarship: Yusuf Diya al-Din Pasha al-Khalidi, one of Rashid Khalidi’s ancestors, served as the mayor of Jerusalem in the late 19th century and was a noted Ottoman scholar and statesman. In 1899, Yusuf Diya famously wrote a letter to Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism, warning him that while Jews had a historic and religious connection to Palestine, it was already inhabited by another people—“leave Palestine alone,” he urged. Khalidi uses this letter in the introduction of his book as a symbolic and historical starting point, framing the Zionist movement from the Palestinian perspective right from its inception. 2. Intellectual and Political Leadership Several members of Khalidi’s family were involved in Palestinian nationalist movements, legal advocacy, and public service throughout the British Mandate and beyond. This includes roles in education, law, and diplomacy. Khalidi’s family background gave him access to a wealth of primary sources, correspondence, and oral histories, allowing him to blend the personal and the political in his writing. He incorporates family experiences during key historical events like: The 1948 Nakba, when many Palestinians, including members of his family, were displaced or lost property. The 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, during which Khalidi and his family were in Beirut. 3. Personal Experience and Scholarly Rigor Rashid Khalidi himself has held important academic and advisory positions: He served as an advisor to the Palestinian delegation at the Madrid and Washington peace talks in the early 1990s. He is the Edward Said Professor Emeritus of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University. His dual identity—as both a participant in Palestinian political life and a Western-trained historian—gives his narrative a rich, multidimensional quality that fuses memoir, historiography, and political critique. In sum, the Khalidi family has long stood at the intersection of Palestinian intellectual, political, and civic life, and Rashid Khalidi draws on that heritage to provide a deeply informed, generational account of Palestinian resistance and dispossession. His family’s story is not just background—it is woven into the broader narrative of Palestine itself.