About this item
A gripping, profoundly human, yet even-handed narrative of the origins of the Middle East conflict, with enduring resonance and relevance for our time.In spring 1936, the Holy Land erupted in a rebellion that targeted both the local Jewish community and the British Mandate authorities that for two decades had midwifed the Zionist project. The Great Arab Revolt would last three years, cost thousands of lives - Jewish, British, and Arab - and cast the trajectory for the Middle East conflict ever since. Yet incredibly, no history of this seminal, formative first "Intifada" has ever been published for a general audience. The 1936-1939 revolt was the crucible in which Palestinian identity coalesced, uniting rival families, city and country, rich and poor in a single struggle for independence.
About the Author
Oren Kessler is a journalist and analyst based in Tel Aviv. Previously, he was deputy director for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, Middle East research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society in London, Arab affairs correspondent for The Jerusalem Post, and an editor and translator at Haaretz English edition. Kessler's work has appeared in outlets including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Politico. A frequent contributor to broadcast media, he has also testified to the UK and EU Parliaments on Middle East issues. Raised in Rochester, New York and Tel Aviv, he holds a BA in history from the University of Toronto and an MA in diplomacy and conflict studies from the Lauder School of Government at Reichman University. Palestine 1936 is his first book.
