This excellent book will teach you everything that you could ever want to know about Palestine from 1917 until now, but it takes a great deal of effort to plow through its entire content. Ergo, this book is for Middle Eastern History buffs only.

If you’re looking for a book that carefully guides you through the Israel-Palestine conflict, laying out who is who and who did what in a clear, step-by-step manner, this is not your best choice. Instead, The Definitive Israel-Palestine Reader throws you into the deep end without a life vest, handing you an avalanche of historical documents and saying, "Here, read all this, relive the events, and draw your own conclusions."

This dense collection of articles, resolutions, legislations, and correspondences brings together the voices of key figures who have shaped the conflict, from the early days of Zionism to the 2023 escalation. Israeli, Palestinian, and other global leaders all have their say—Yasser Arafat and Netanyahu appear alongside Gandhi, Einstein, and Malcolm X, for example.

As I read, I found myself constantly googling: "Who was this person again?" "When exactly did this part of the conflict happen?" "What are they even referring to?" Rather than offering a single, streamlined narrative that simplifies history through a researcher’s lens, the book presents a well-structured collection of primary sources—fragments of a larger mosaic, a kaleidoscope of perspectives that demands the reader’s active engagement to piece together the bigger picture. Did I enjoy the experience? Yes. Did I come away with answers? Not really—except that, while some voices seek a path to peace, there will always be those armed with absolute convictions about why the other side is to blame.

And because the feminist in me cannot stay quiet, it’s impossible to ignore that this collection of over a hundred contributions is, overwhelmingly, male. Men waging wars, men deciding fates, men debating solutions. Not that the book is at fault, but it’s hard not to wonder: if more women—not just as victims or grieving mothers, but as political and strategic agents—had a voice in this landscape, would the conflict have taken a different path? Perhaps with less thirst for control, less obsession with dominance, and more intelligence to recognize that solutions don’t have to be a zero-sum game.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bd Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. With its wealth of historical documents and diversity of voices, this book is bound to become a foundational reference for anyone interested in the subject.

A very interesting, wide-ranging book that is a must for anyone who wants to understand the background to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. I've read a few books on the subject, but I've never before read such detailed excerpts from documents written before the Balfour Agreement about the possibility of a new state/land for the Jewish people and how that came about.

It really does live up to the title of 'Definitive' and, even though I've had the opportunity to read an advance electronic copy, I will want to buy a copy of the book itself so I can have it for reference.

By compiling speeches, documents, and articles from three centuries, this reader offers a clear and balanced account of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with expert commentary woven throughout. This reader uses three centuries of historical documents and expert commentary to create an accessible, balanced narrative of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Very informative and highly recommended.

This book was fascinating. I've always felt like I really wanted to understand the conflict more, but wasn't sure where to go to find good information and I felt like the author did a good job with explanations to give an intro into this conflict.