Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire

by Richard Becker

A sharp analysis of the struggle for Palestine--from the division of the Middle East by Western powers and the Zionist settler movement, to the founding of Israel and its role as a watchdog for US interests, to present day conflicts and the prospects for a just resolution. The narrative is firmly rooted in the politics of Palestinian liberation. Here is a neccesary contribution to the heroic efforts of the Palestinian people to achieve justice in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.This book contains a complete index and a timeline of developments in the history of Palestine.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Middle East, Social Justice, War, United States

252 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Zach Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really great primer to the colonial situation in Palestine. Covering all the major events and the steadfast Palestinian resistance, Becker did a great job with this. I’d recommend for anyone new to anti-Zionism or looking for a great educational primer with comrades. It would pair really well with both Fayez Sayegh’s Zionist Colonialism in Palestine and Edward Said’s The Question of Palestine because it deals with the dates and events in a really succinct manner, something important when reading about or discussing Palestine.

[Rajvi Rawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does the current Israel-Palestine conflict intrigue you? Does the Israeli propaganda of retaliation create sympathy in your heart? Has the main stream media turned you against the Muslim dominated Palestine and Middle East?
Then this book is a must read for you and trust me it is going to be an eye-opener for you.

It takes you back to the time when Israel wasnt even on the world map. It describes in detail the history of Palestine and its neighboring countries. It will make you understand the fact that US backed Israel is nothing more than a modern Zionist Coloniser inhumanely opresssing the indigenous Palestine population.

The Israel-Palestine conflict is not as transparent as the world believes it to be.

[April Pragle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing and spells out the history of the middle eastern region of Palestine and Israel and the surrounding areas leading up to and explaining the ongoing conflict of the region.

The book makes an impressive case for Israel as a modern colonizing force, oppressing Palestinians and attempting to create it's own Jewish empire. It also accuses the United States of creating an empire in the middle east through the Zionist movement.

I would challenge anyone who thinks they know the situation of these two countries to read this book, especially if the person is sympathetic to the Israeli cause.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The reactionary triple alliance of imperialism, Zionism and Arab reaction first clearly appeared in opposition to the revolutionary movement in Palestine in this period (1936-1939). That counterrevolutionary alliance, with the United States taking Britain’s place as the lead imperialist power in the 1950's, has confronted all revolutionary movements in the region ever since."

Richard Becker

[poetic interludes · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is a great primer in order to understand palestine's colonization and subsequent apartheid + tactics of oppression. this is a really good text for someone who doesn't really know too much, as the book is formatted well and doesn't use complex language/assume the reader already knows certain aspects of history.

the book makes great use of statistics, photographs, and maps to assist the narrative, which i appreciated.

[Donovan Glasgow · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent historical primer for all who support Palestinian Liberation and the eradication of Zionism. Misunderstandings are common about this history: that Israel controls US policy, that the conflict is between two religions, that a two state solution is desirable or even possible. Having a correct analysis is crucial if our movement is to get anywhere, and this book is a good starting point.

Becker clearly lays out that Israel is, and always conceived itself as, the attack dog of Western imperialism. The US needs an outpost in the Middle East, and Israel needs a constant flow of weapons and diplomatic cover to maintain and expand its settler colonial project. The alliance is fruitful for both sides, but it is also fragile, constantly threatened but the Palestinian Resistance and global solidarity movements.

Biden’s full throated, mask off support for Israel’s genocide against Gaza—so incomprehensible to even many of his liberal base—is understandable with this book’s analysis. Israel is one of the last load bearing walls holding up the crumbling US empire. Palestinian Liberation is a gateway to a better world for all. Our duty as workers in the imperial core is to support Palestinian Resistance without qualification or compromise.

[mia]

Reread for the first time since I think 2021, really great analysis of the US’s interests in the Middle East and our special relationship with Israel and how this deliberately fails the Palestinians in every way.

[kee ✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

from 2009 but it's an amazing book & introduction / foundation to the subject i 100% recommend

[Katlyn Howery · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What first must happen is a dismantling of the Israeli apartheid system and all of its racist mechanisms and institutions. The imperialist domination of the region also must become a relic of the past.”

[Rose Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good analysis about the history of the Zionist colonial project and the inner workings of Israel and US imperialism. Very readable not so academic, gives the basics and essential infoo
N my unc wrote it ;)

[Tyler Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A profoundly direct, historical account of the geopolitical imperialism and racism that led to the current occupied state of Palestine.

This is a must read for anyone who truly wants to understand the history behind what we see happening there today, and who doesn't understand the drastic differences between Jews and Zionists.

[Eric James · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you know knowing about the illegal occupation of Palestine, I highly recommend starting with this book. It's short but also highly informative. While offering just enough depth to understand the impact but without going into too much detail, Becker writes about the struggle of a group of people who have been fighting for their independence and sovereignty for the past century.

[Gabby N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 2009, but serves as a great foundation on the history of zionism, israel, and the Palestinian struggle and resistance. It also gives a concise analysis of the u.s. involvement in the region, to show that israel is a racist settler colonial project that furthers western imperialism in the Middle East. Looking forward to reading the updated 2nd edition.

[sanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

this such a beautiful and elaborative book on the Palestinian cause and the whole Arab world... heartbreaking book too...

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly excellent primer on everything you need to educate folks on the history of the US Empire's role in the establishment and support of Israel as a forward operating base for US Imperialism to dominate West Asia. The updated edition recently published following the start of Operation Al Aqsa Flood is extremely useful for debunking many common right wing, pro-colonial talking points used against the movement for Palestine. It also corrects many misconceptions that some supporters of Palestine in the US may have on the direction of control in the relationship between the empire and its satellite proxy Israel.

Importantly, you don't need any background on this issue or a graduate degree in history to pick up this book. It's accessible for anyone, and is a very important tool in this moment to educate folks and grow the movement to end the ongoing genocide and finally win a Free Palestine.

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Marxist overview of the topic, emphasising the imbrication of Israeli settler-colonialism with US empire. I have a few theoretical/political quibbles: eg, the uncritical reproduction of PFLP's economic program of "combined public-private economy" in "preparation" for socialism, and the lack of strategic discussion re Palestinian liberation. But basically this is a quick, easy, and sharp book.

[Cherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

was a very informative read. there were a lot of repetitions such as US / European imperialism’s role in the region, which is worth emphasizing, but the reinforcement lacked new depths

an important read nonetheless

[Jack Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

read it! this book clearly lays out the connection between Israel and US imperialism. it talks about the history of the Palestine in Israel from an anti-zionist perspective, and even has been updated since October 7th. it also is full of maps and timelines which really help. my copy is also signed by the author :-)

[Trevor Turnbow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book while tabling for BU SJP over the course of a few days. Reach out to me if you want to donate to families in Gaza & I’ll send you the venmo <3

[Jd Lancaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good book, and did such a good job at explaining, in a succinct yet understandable way, the history of the evils of zionism, and the ways that it has, and continues to subjugate Palestinian people, and yet at the same time manages to keep Jewish people down by being an extremely right leaning conservative viewpoint. Example being that the US empire supports israel not because it specifically supports Jewish people, but because the US knows that it can use the reactionary nature of israel to dominate and subjugate the Middle East. Thus the US only seeks to use israel, not truly support it.

I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone who is curious about the subject!
Lastly from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!

[Matt Lucente · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent text; absolutely critical for understanding the material reality of the ongoing settler-colonial genocide in Palestine, the historical origins of Zionism and the Zionist entity currently occupying Palestine, and exactly how the colonial entity serves the U.S.'s imperialist interests in the region.

I was already aware of a lot of the theoretical, generalizable content in this text—i.e. Israel's role as a watchdog for American imperialism, its continual flaunting of international law (supported, of course, by the U.S.), the unbelievable brutality of its ongoing genocide, the manipulation of material reality by American media in order to obscure facts and warp public opinion, and so on—but was previously unaware of many specific historical events throughout the history of Zionist occupation. This text covers such topics and more in an easy-to-read, matter-of-fact, and well-researched way, explaining the origins, events, and significance of such episodes as the 1948 War (Al-Nakba), the 1967 War (the Six-Days War), the Intifadas, and more.

A key aspect for any real, serious understanding of Israel's role as part of America's global empire is the fact that it's essentially immune to international law and any accountability for its many atrocities, owing to the full backing and material support of the largest, most violent, and most advanced military empire in human history. Because Israel enjoys the full support of the global military hegemon (the U.S.), and as long as it upholds Washington's geopolitical goals in the Middle East, it is capable of committing horrific crimes against humanity, ignoring the established Palestinian right of return, and maintaining a clearly illegal, indisputably apartheid system. A good quote to this effect reads:

"Collective punishment—like West Bank and Golan Heights settlements, the imprisonment of Palestinians inside Israeli jails, the systematic torture of prisoners, house demolitions and many other routine Israeli practices—violates international humanitarian law. But because of U.S. protection, Israel has been immune from suffering consequences for its wanton criminality [...] Responding to the blockade, bombings and killing, Palestinian fighters fired homemade rockets from Gaza into Israel. Again, only the Palestinian actions were labeled as 'terrorism' in the U.S. and European corporate media. Not once were Israel's grave crimes called acts of state terrorism.
A six-month ceasefire agreement was negotiated in Cairo on June 19, 2008, between the Hamas-led government in Gaza and the Israeli government. Israel regularly violated the agreement by continuing the blockade, and on Nov. 4, Israel killed six people inside Gaza. It followed the attack by sealing off Gaza altogether. The resistance forces inside Gaza resumed rocket fire. The Bush administration and Democratic party leaders, including Senate leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, condemned the Palestinians and proclaimed their full support for Israel.
This sequence of events should be understood for what it was: a worked-out war plan again using Israel's favorite pretext of 'retaliation'—the word that magically transforms the aggressor into victim and vice-versa." (pp. 118-119)

Sound familiar? This is one instance of the continual pattern of Israel's attacks on the Palestinian people, subsequent rhetoric portraying themselves as the victims, and leveraging of Western corporate mass media in the imperial core to uphold that rhetoric and manufacture consent for genocide—something we of course have been seeing a lot of since Oct. 7, 2023. I really appreciated the analysis of how rhetoric and manipulation of popular discourse is used to excuse and obscure Israeli atrocities. Regarding the manipulation of public understanding, Becker also states:

"The Israeli government and pro-Israel forces in the United States and abroad seek to equate Zionism with Judaism—to draw an equal sign between a brutal colonial political ideology and a religion. This dishonest and dangerous equation becomes the basis for falsely accusing any and all critics of Israel of 'anti-Semitism.'" (p. 8)

This text was definitely not easy reading, though it was stylistically very readable. I had to put it down multiple times and calm myself down. The enormity of suffering, atrocities, and injustice contained in this book is staggering, but Becker does an excellent job of conveying the reality of these historical events, their significance on a global scale, and what can be done, putting the struggle for Palestinian liberation to the foreground and upholding the fundamental right (again, a matter of international law) of colonized peoples to resist their colonizers and return to their indigenous lands.

I also really enjoyed the short chapter entitled "Subsidizing Occupation: U.S. Aid to Israel" (pp. 149-151), as it demonstrates with concrete numbers and data the vastness of America's military and economic support for the settler-colonial genocidal project. Israel has received more U.S. foreign aid than any other entity since WWII, and "with just 0.01 percent of the world's population, Israel has been the recipient of over 30 percent of all U.S. foreign assistance in that period. This aid is not because Jewish people have acquired a special place in the hearts of U.S. policy makers. Rather, it is an indication that Israel is seen as an extension of U.S. power in the Middle East, an area so strategic that three of the four top recipients of U.S. foreign aid are located there." (p. 149). This aid includes loans which are forgiven by acts of Congress after the fact—essentially (and sneakily) converting them into grants—as well as direct donations of military equipment and joint military projects, much of which is not officially reported or is intentionally misrepresented by failing to account for inflation in official reports. "To mention just one example, when Israel launched its devastating aerial war on Lebanon in 2006, many of the bombs it dropped were 'on loan' from the Pentagon." (p. 150).

These "loaned" bombs were not, of course, officially listed or reported, but that did not stop them from wreaking incredible havoc on the region. Regarding this instance, to give you an example of how Becker discusses the historical events covered in this text, he writes:

"Using the capture of two Israeli soldiers as the pretext, Israel launched six weeks of air attacks on Lebanese apartment buildings, hospitals, bridges, roads, power, water, and sewage treatment plants, and more. It waged war on Gaza at the same time, using the same pretext of a 'kidnapped' Israeli occupation soldier.
Over 1,200 Lebanese were killed and thousands more wounded. Much of what had been rebuilt after decades of a destructive civil war was destroyed again. In the midst of the war, it was revealed that U.S. and Israeli leaders had met months earlier to discuss a new war, and that Israeli war plans had been in the works for over a year.
In the early stages of the war, with its many Lebanese civilian casualties, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rejected a ceasefire proposal by the U.N. Security Council. Rice arrogantly dismissed the Israeli assault and its casualties as 'the birth pangs of a new Middle East.' [...] After a ceasefire agreement—vigorously sought by Israel and Washington—was reached on Aug. 12, 2006, the Israeli military scattered more than a million cluster bomblets across southern Lebanon. This calculated act of terrorism continues to take the lives and limbs of Lebanese children and adults today." (pp. 115-117).

I feel like this review is getting overly long, but in summary I would strongly suggest this text to anyone with any sympathy towards the Palestinian struggle for national liberation, anyone who wants to actually educate themselves about this geopolitical issue, or indeed anyone who opposes the forms of racism, apartheid, genocidal violence, and imperialist oppression which form the absolute backbone of Zionist political ideology and the occupying Zionist entity known as Israel.

"That the Palestinian people still stand today is testimony to what a courageous, determined, deeply rooted and heroic resistance movement can accomplish. The Palestinians have long suffered, and continue to suffer greatly today. But they have not been defeated, and the Israelis are not winning. Above all, it is the steadfastness of the Palestinian and other resistance movements in the region that has forced the leaders of the U.S. empire to rethink their tactics once again. Resistance has reaffirmed the truth—the imperialists and their lackeys are not invincible." (p. 165)

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed the way I viewed the conflict of Israel-Palestine . Originally I viewed the conflict focusing on colonization , now while that premise still holds true to the origins of how this conflict began, it ignores the greater idea here. I view it now with a focus on it being an extension of western empire. Empires throughout history expand and brutalize all in their path , there isn’t an empire that maintains its dominance through passive means. Israel is an extension of the United States empire which is why we unequivocally offer support and diplomatic cover, regardless of the human rights violations they commit. Without Israel, United States power and influence in the region erodes significantly.

When this conflict is spoken about in mainstream media all too often we’re told “ it’s complicated” and “they’ve been fighting for THOUSANDS of years,” (both of which aren’t true). My father also regurgitated these statements to me when I was a child, and I believed them wholeheartedly until 2021 when I learned Israel controls the calories that enter Gaza. Then I started reading…..

Once you learn about Sykes Picot agreement, Balfour declaration, the irgun, lehi/stern gangs, dier yassin massacre , the king David hotel bombing, the UN partition of 1947, the 1936-1939 war , the nakba, operation cast lead, operation pillar of defense, operation protective edge, the great March of return, the mavi marmara incident, you will quickly begin to look at this conflict with a different gaze. I’m always surprised by people that have such strong opinions on this issue but they have never heard of any of these aforementioned historical events.

The book will also offer essential information about western involvement in other parts of the region including the destabilization of Iraq and iran.

If you are curious to learn about how we arrived at this point I suggest reading this book .

[Jackson Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book for background info regarding the history of Israel/Palestine and is short enough to keep my ADHD brain involved while giving enough stuff

NOTES:
- "the 761 US military bases in more than 39 countries across the world are not there to make the people of the United States "more secure and more prosperous""
- Theodore Herzl was the father of political Zionism
- Palestine was not “a land without people”, it was a land without europeans
- Colonists used socialism as a way to convince workers that Zionism was good
- Zionists were aware and outward in that they were acting in a racist and colonial way, stating that they expected the palestinian arabs to be tough fighters since they were "Defending their own land"
- Plan Dalet was a zionist plan to attack quiet palestinian villages and kill native arabs that were not involved in the war
- Palestine was in fact not a "barren land" before it was taken by Israeli colonists, much of Israel's foundation is based on stolen land and buildings
- Israel ran a "retaliation" campaign in which they would attack and once there was a response they would justify further action by calling it retaliation
- $14.4 billion was given to israel in 1979 by the US
- In 1973 a war between Syria/Egypy (backed by the USSR) and Israel (backed by the US) caused a nearly nuclear crisis and skyrocketed US gas prices leaving some gas stations completely dry
- The US, French, and Israeli militaries killed thousands of Lebanese citizens
- During the Bush administration the israeli prime minister visited the white house more than any other foreign official in the world
- Israel committed numerous war crimes while the US labeled Palestinians as terrorists for retaliating

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aghast at the crimes of Israel, I feel this book has been a great introduction to the topic as well as a full explanation of the problems faced in the area. I truly see that the oppressed people of Palestine need our help, and with the attention that this book has brought me I will in the future look to what I can do to help these people and the people of the world who stand against the western imperialist machine

[Megan Bott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life. I’m no longer blinded by American propaganda and do not support Israel or their actions. I will see a free Palestine in my lifetime! Right of return for all Palestinians!!!

[Iraku · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise, well-written book about the Palestinian struggle that analyzes the problem through a leftist, global perspective. Many sources are used to back up the book's claims and an interesting appendix is also included.

[Nicole Roussell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, clear, and concise history of the Palestinian people and land.

[pavel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read

[Bob Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book two years ago in a few days. It opened my eyes to the horror and history of the Palestinian people and what they’ve gone through since the takeover of their land.
Critiquing Israel does not make you an anti-Semite nor does it make you some terrorist sympathizer. Calling into question the actions and motives of a country and its treatment along with its segregation of an entire race of people, is a needed discussion. Read the book, hold back your prejudices to either side and hopefully you’ll get a better understanding of what has gone on and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. It definitely reshaped my view.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that everyone should read. Smart, simple, and straightforward. Becker’s book supports the truth that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not complex or confusing, but rather a clear matter of historic imperialism sponsored by the US. Probably the best and most relevant nonfiction I’ve read in a long time and yet not owned by a single library in the entire Minuteman Library Network. Really does speak volumes. Luckily I was able to purchase it on Amazon so it’s still available in some places apparently. Anyway, read this book!