Palestine: A Personal History

In a brilliant piece of detective work, Karl Sabbagh investigates the story of his Palestinian ancestors and through it the history of what was, and may become again, Palestine. Born the son of a Palestinian father but raised by his English mother in south London, Sabbagh was only a child when the United Nations voted in 1947 to divide Palestine into two states. Palestine and Palestinians had existed for centuries, their roots in the mélange of tribes, ethnic groups, and religions that peopled the area for thousands of years. Using his family tree as a guide, Sabbagh details how the descendants of these original inhabitants were forced from their homes into refugee settlements on the West Bank, Gaza, and dispersed around the world. Their desire to return to the land they feel is rightly theirs is at the root of an endless cycle of discord and violence between Jews and Arabs that is being fought to this day. With Palestine , Sabbagh bravely attempts both to illuminate and come to terms with his family’s—and his people’s—turbulent past.