Rashid Khalidi on the Palestinian Cause in a Volatile Middle East, and the Meaning of Settler Colonialism
Dec 13, 2024
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Rashid Khalidi, a professor emeritus at Columbia University and author of "The Hundred Years' War on Palestine," discusses the evolving Palestinian cause amid shifting Middle East dynamics. He critiques the limited support for Palestine from nations like Iran, emphasizing their self-interest. Khalidi also delves into the concept of settler colonialism, asserting it’s an accurate historical description of Israel’s actions, rather than an antisemitic slur. He highlights the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the need for justice and equality to achieve lasting peace.
Rashid Khalidi argues that the recent shifts in Middle Eastern alliances may not negatively impact the Palestinian cause as previously assumed.
Hamas's military decisions during the conflict suggest a disconnect between their leadership in Gaza and broader regional dynamics and support.
The debate over Zionism as settler colonialism highlights the complexities of historical narratives, requiring a more nuanced understanding of the conflict's roots.
Deep dives
The Complexity of the Middle Eastern Conflict
The episode delves into the ongoing complexity of the Middle Eastern conflict, highlighting its volatility and the intricate dynamics at play. The recent developments suggest a change in regional alliances, particularly the impact of the fall of Assad's regime in Syria, which diminished one of Iran’s significant allies. The host emphasizes the difficulty in predicting how these shifts will influence the war in Gaza, pointing out that any assessment of the current situation requires a deep understanding of historical context and ongoing power relations. This multilayered analysis of the conflict underscores the importance of addressing not just immediate events but also the long historical grievances that drive the current crisis.
Perspectives on Hamas's Intentions
Rashid Khalidi offers insights into Hamas's strategies and intentions, particularly regarding the recent escalations. He suggests that Hamas's military leadership in Gaza may have initiated actions without fully communicating their intentions to allies outside the region, leading to a miscalculation of regional support. This segment explores how Hamas believed their actions could spur widespread regional uprisings, which did not materialize in the expected manner. The discussion raises questions about the internal dynamics within Hamas and the disconnect between their military actions and the broader political realities in the region.
The State of the Palestinian Movement
Khalidi discusses the fragmented state of the Palestinian movement, asserting that it lacks a cohesive strategy or unified leadership. He explains how discredited factions have struggled to present a viable path forward, exacerbated by ongoing colonization and settlement activities in both the West Bank and Gaza. This analysis reveals a critical juncture for Palestinians, as internal disunity and the external pressures of occupation hinder their ability to collectively respond to their current plight. The discussion highlights the importance of re-establishing a coherent Palestinian national identity and leadership to effectively address their political challenges.
Zionism and Settler Colonialism
The episode engages with contrasting viewpoints on the characterization of Zionism as a form of settler colonialism. Khalidi argues that Zionism historically involves a colonial endeavor fueled by European imperial support, while Adam Kirsch contests this framing, suggesting that such an analysis oversimplifies the complex historical and cultural ties Jews have to the land of Israel. Kirsch positions Zionism within the broader context of the survival of the Jewish people in the face of persecution, indicating that a more nuanced understanding is necessary for discussing this contentious issue. This debate showcases the challenging intellectual terrain around the historical narratives shaping the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Prospects for a Peaceful Resolution
The discussion extends to potential pathways for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, emphasizing the need for compromise and reconciliation. Khalidi asserts that sustainable resolution will require dismantling structures of domination and addressing the injustices faced by both peoples. Kirsch posits that a two-state solution, while currently lacking support among the conflicting parties, remains the most viable option for securing peace and justice for both Israelis and Palestinians. This segment of the conversation reflects a bleak yet determined outlook, recognizing the significant challenges ahead while also highlighting the necessity for dialogue.
Power dynamics in the Middle East shifted dramatically this year. In Lebanon, Israel dealt a severe blow toHezbollah, and another crucial ally of Iran—Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria—was toppled by insurgents. But the historian Rashid Khalidi is skeptical that these changes will set back the Palestinian cause, as it relates to Israel. “This idea that the Palestinians are bereft of allies assumes that they had people who were doing things for their interest,” Khalidi tells David Remnick, “which I don’t think was true.” The limited responses to the war in Gaza by Iran and Hezbollah, Khalidi believes, clearly demonstrate that Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance “was designed by Iran to protect the Iranian regime. . . . It wasn’t designed to protect Palestine.” Khalidi, a professor emeritus at Columbia University, is the author of a number of books on Palestinian history; among them, “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine” has been particularly influential. The book helped bring the term “settler colonialism” into common parlance, at least on the left, to describe Israel’s relationship to historic Palestine. Sometimes invoked as a term of opprobrium, “settler colonialism” is strongly disputed by supporters of Israel. Khalidi asserts that the description is historically specific and accurate. The early Zionists, he says, understood their effort as colonization. “That’s not some antisemitic slur,” he says. “That’s the description they gave themselves.”
The concept of settler colonialism has been applied, on the political left, to describe Israel’s founding, and to its settlement of the Palestinian-occupied territories. This usage has been disputed by supporters of Israel and by thinkers including Adam Kirsch, an editor at the Wall Street Journal, who has also written about philosophy for The New Yorker. “Settler colonialism is . . . a zero-sum way of looking at the conflict,” Kirsch tells David Remnick. “In the classic examples, it involves the destruction of one people by another and their replacement over a large territory, really a continent-wide territory. That’s not at all the history of Israel and Palestine.” Kirsch made his case in a recent book, “On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice.”
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