Expulsion of the Palestinians: The Concept of "Transfer" in Zionist Political Thought, 1882-1948

Expulsion of the Palestinians: The Concept of “Transfer” in Zionist Political Thought, 1882-1948

From the beginning of the Zionist enterprise to found a Jewish national home, or state, in Palestine, Zionists have been confronted with what was called the “Arab problem” — the fact that the “Land of Israel” was already populated. In this meticulous work, Nur Masalha examines one of the proposed solutions to that problem — the transfer of the indigenous Palestinian population to neighboring Arab lands. Masalha’s book is the most comprehensive study to date on the concept of “transfer” in Zionist thinking from the late nineteenth century up to the 1948 war. Expulsion of the Palestinians is invaluable for the light it throws on the attitudes towards the Palestinians of the Israeli political and military decision-makers on the eve of the exodus of some 750,000 Palestinians during the 1948 war.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nur MASALHA is an Israeli-Arab and a graduate of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He has taught at London University and Bristol University and is a fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at Durham University in the United Kingdom.

Language: English
ISBN: 0887282423
1992 – 2014, Paperback, 236 pages

Reviews

“Almost entirely based on declassified Israeli archival material, Dr. Masalha’s sober and carefully researched account shows conclusively that “transfer” — a euphemism for expulsion — was from the start an integral part of Zionism…impressive and timely book…quietly devastating research.” — Rt. Hon. Lord Gilmour, The Guardian, London

“…(An) impressive and timely book…quietly devastating research.” — Rt. Hon. Lord Gilmour, The Guardian (London)

(Dr. Masalha) shows using documents from the Israeli archives, that the flight of the Arab population from what became Israel in 1948 – which Israel’s first president, Chiam Weizmann hailed as ‘a miraculous clearing of the land’ – was in fact ‘less than a miracle than the culmination of over a half century of effort, plans and (in the end) brute force’. — Edward Mortimer, Financial Times

Almost entirely based on declassified Israeli archival materials, Dr. Masalha’s sober and carefully researched account shows conclusively that ‘transfer’ – a euphemism for expulsion – was from the start an integral part of Zionism….(an) impressive and timely book….quietly devastating research.. — Rt. Hon. Lord Gilmore, The Guardian [London]

Dr. Masalha’s book will excite controversy, not because his conclusions can be challenged – the sources leave no doubt about the facts – but because the book exposes in detail the notion of the Zionist design and the means by which it was achieved…an important and scrupulous piece of revisionist history. — Michael Adams, Middle East International