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Reading Herzl in Beirut: The PLO Effort to Know the Enemy
How the Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center informed the PLO’s relationship to Zionism and Israel
In September 1982, the Israeli military invaded West Beirut and Israel-allied Lebanese militiamen massacred Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. Meanwhile, Israeli forces also raided the Palestinian Liberation Organization Research Center and trucked its complete library to Israel. Palestinian activists and supporters protested loudly to international organizations and the Western press, claiming that the assault on the Center proved that the Israelis sought to destroy not merely Palestinian militants but Palestinian culture as well. The protests in November 1983, Israel returned the library as part of a prisoner exchange. What was in that library?
Much of the expansive collection the PLO amassed consisted of books about Judaism, Zionism, and Israel. In Reading Herzl in Beirut , Jonathan Marc Gribetz tells the story of the PLO Research Center from its establishment in 1965 until its ultimate expulsion from Lebanon in 1983. Gribetz explores why the PLO invested in research about the Jews, what its researchers learned about Judaism and Zionism, and how the knowledge they acquired informed the PLO’s relationship to Israel.
In September 1982, the Israeli military invaded West Beirut and Israel-allied Lebanese militiamen massacred Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. Meanwhile, Israeli forces also raided the Palestinian Liberation Organization Research Center and trucked its complete library to Israel. Palestinian activists and supporters protested loudly to international organizations and the Western press, claiming that the assault on the Center proved that the Israelis sought to destroy not merely Palestinian militants but Palestinian culture as well. The protests in November 1983, Israel returned the library as part of a prisoner exchange. What was in that library?
Much of the expansive collection the PLO amassed consisted of books about Judaism, Zionism, and Israel. In Reading Herzl in Beirut , Jonathan Marc Gribetz tells the story of the PLO Research Center from its establishment in 1965 until its ultimate expulsion from Lebanon in 1983. Gribetz explores why the PLO invested in research about the Jews, what its researchers learned about Judaism and Zionism, and how the knowledge they acquired informed the PLO’s relationship to Israel.
408 pages, Paperback
Published July 9, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 21, 2024
Surprisingly captivating book about the story of a missing library.
November 3, 2024
I found the book extremely rewarding. It obviously is not an easy read but it offers an interesting point of view on such an important subject. Understanding Zionism for the PLO point of view and how this might have shaped their view and choices is worth considering.
A book about a library, very well researched and elaborated.
A book about a library, very well researched and elaborated.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews