The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited

Clear, concise presentation of history based on good research. It doesn't paint a pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian picture; it just presents the facts and conclusions that can readily be drawn from those facts. It's a little dry, though, so don't pick it up thinking it's going to read like a historical fiction novel.

Update (almost 2 years after the first reading): Read through it a second time, this time for a graduate seminar in the Arab-Israeli Conflict. I think I got a lot more from it this time, but I could still give it a third and probably a fourth reading. This thing is rich in detail and presents a complex and nuanced approach to the causes and continued existence of the refugee problem. Maybe it's a sign that I've been studying show more history for too long, but this time around I found some parts of the book exciting. Still, it's definitely not something I would call pleasure reading. Worth it though if you have an interest in Israeli history in general, the 48 war, or current Middle Eastern politics. show less

Around the time of the creation of the state of Israel, a large number of Palestinian Arabs were displaced and became refugees. The Israeli and Palestinian narratives that describe how this came to pass are very different. So, what really happened? Morris tries to address this question through analysis of historical documents. This is another one of those books that I respect but wasn't able to read; the amount of detail was overwhelming, and even just reading the summaries proved to be a challenge.