The Iron Cage by Rashid Khalidi
The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood
This study traces the Palestinian national movement from the late Ottoman period through the twentieth century and argues that Palestinians have been constrained by a constellation of structural forces—imperial and colonial rule, Zionist settlement and state-building, regional Arab politics, and international geopolitics—compounded by internal weaknesses such as social fragmentation, elite compromises, and the lack of durable institutions. It shows how those dynamics shaped the calamities of 1948 and 1967 and influenced later developments, including the Oslo process, which the author presents as reinforcing dependency and undermining genuine state-building. The work urges a rethinking of strategy toward constructing independent institutions, broader popular mobilization, and greater political coherence to escape these recurring constraints.
- Published
- 2006
- Nationality
- American
- Length
- Medium
- Pages
- 272 pages
- Original Language
- English
- Avg User Rating
-
(5.0)
- Alternate Titles
- None
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