Xavier Abū ʿĪd, Rooted in Palestine: Palestinian Christians and the Struggle for National Liberation 1917-2004 (Beit Jālā: Dār al-Kalima University Press, 2022)
Reviewed by Noha Heraiba, Database Editor for Dialogue Across Borders
Publication Date: October 5, 2024
Rooted in Palestine: Palestinian Christians and the Struggle for National Liberation (1917-2004) provides an important survey of the often neglected role that Palestinian Christians have played in the struggle for Palestinian identity and liberation. The author, Xavier Abū ʿĪd, is a Palestinian Christian who was born in Chile and now lives in the occupied West Bank. Abu ʿĪd’s academic training was as a political scientist rather than a historian but he effectively weaves both disciplines together in this volume. The book was published in 2022 by Dār al-Kalima University Press, the publishing arm of Dār al-Kalima University based in Bethlehem.
The book is divided into several sections ranging from before the British mandate period (1917-1948) to the Second Intifāḍa in the early 2000s. It is structured chronologically with each section exploring a distinct era of Palestinian history and the key personalities and events involved. Abū ʿĪd manages to intertwine these events by showing how the roles of influential Palestinian Christian figures evolved, as well as giving precise and detailed information about historical events, such as the Oslo Peace Process. Chapter 1 reaches back into Ottoman times and introduces the historical significance of the “status quo” agreements which controlled access to Jerusalem holy sites, as well as the importance of 19th century educational institutions for shaping Palestinian Christian identity. This chapter explains that although the British Mandate was originally seen as a “victory for Christianity,” with time this perspective deteriorated as the Palestinians recognized that the Balfour Declaration gave favor to the Israeli-Jewish population. The Palestinian national movement emerged during this period. It also delves into international mediation efforts, showing the reader how external institutions have played a significant role in shaping the fate of Palestinians from the beginning.
Chapter 2 begins in 1949, the year after the Nakba (“the catastrophe”), or the creation of the State of Israel and the large-scale expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland. The formation of the main Palestinian political organizations, ranging from the PLO to other political movements is covered, with emphasis on their interfaith composition. This chapter also treats the 1956 and 1967 wars, the experience of local churches during this transitional period, and the historic visit of Pope Paul VI (d.1978), who made efforts to help the Palestinian population and garner support for them. Chapter 3 begins after the 1967 war and details the changes that Jerusalem experienced as it was occupied, as well as the arrival of the PLO in Lebanon, thus detailing how Arab countries played a role in the Palestinian struggle. The experience of Palestinians living in Israel is also discussed, with a section dedicated to the villages of Iqrith and Kufr Birʿim, which illuminate for the reader how Palestinians coped with being strangers in their own land. Chapter 4 discusses the Oslo Peace Process from various angles and helps explain why this peace process, despite its good intentions, failed the Palestinians. Grassroots organizations and the resistance of Palestinian churches, as well as the human cost of the Second Intifāḍa, also serve to show the resilience of Palestinians. Key figures such as Latin Catholic Patriarch Michel Ṣabbāḥ (b.1933) are highlighted who played a pivotal role as the first Palestinian to be elected (c.1988) as head of the Catholic Church in Palestine. Finally, Chapter 5 shows the fraught relationship between the Oslo Peace Process and the Second Intifāḍa, as well as the failed negotiations at Camp David in 2000. The book’s conclusion fast-forwards the reader to 2022 and the tragic death of Palestinian Christian journalist Shīrīn Abū ʿĀqelah at the hands of an Israeli sniper and how her funeral demonstrated that Palestinian Christians are an integral part of Palestinian society.