The Wound of Dispossession: Telling the Palestinian Story. (Books in Brief).Christison, Kathleen. The Wound of Dispossession The wrongful, nonconsensual ouster or removal of a person from his or her property by trick, compulsion, or misuse of the law, whereby the violator obtains actual occupation of the land. Dispossession encompasses intrusion, disseisin, or deforcement. : Telling the Palestinian Story. Santa Fe Santa Fe, city, Argentina Santa Fe, city (1991 pop. 341,000), capital of Santa Fe prov., NE Argentina, a river port near the Paraná, with which it is connected by canal. , NM: Sunlit sun·lit adj. Illuminated by the sun. Adj. 1. sunlit - lighted by sunlight; "the sunlit slopes of the canyon"; "violet valleys and the sunstruck ridges"- Wallace Stegner sunstruck Hills Press, 2001. Paper $12.95. The work relies on 124 interviews of Palestinians in the U.S. (both citizens and non-citizens) conducted between October 1987 and May 1989. The pro-Israeli thought police prevented the book from being published upon completion in 1992 after many of the interview subjects were re-interviewed. The author finally decided to publish it herself. This act of censorship alone makes the book worthwhile to read. The message that the author wants to deliver is that Palestinians are ready for peace with Israel. The majority of Palestinians accept the two-state solution The two-state solution envisions two separate states in the Western portion of the historic region of Palestine, one Jewish and another Arab to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict. . The right of return (at least for a specific number of Palestinians) is also an element of the solution. However, Palestinians are not optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op about a peace settlement with Israel. The book expresses the whole range of Palestinian popular thinking at that time and is still important to read now, especially in light of the developments that have occurred since the al-Aqsa Intifada Intifada (ĭntēfă`dĕ) [Arab.,=uprising, shaking off], the Palestinian uprising during the late 1980s and early 90s in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, areas that had been occupied by Israel since 1967. , which confirm Israel's unwillingness to reach a just peace settlement. The author is of the opinion that Palestinian actions (ambiguity in their positions, missed opportunities, not taking the initiative, etc.) are a factor in the Israeli-U.S. failure to consider Palestinian compromises seriously. One can only hope that the author has rethought that position in light of the unfolding Israeli and U.S. grand design(s) for the Arab region. |
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