summary of The Question of Palestine by Edward Said:

Edward Said’s The Question of Palestine is a powerful and deeply argued account of the historical, political, and moral dimensions of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination. Written by one of the most influential cultural critics and intellectuals of the twentieth century, the book seeks to dismantle the dominant narratives surrounding the Arab-Israeli conflict by placing the Palestinian experience at the center of the discussion. Said traces the origins of the conflict to the rise of Zionism and its convergence with Western imperialism, showing how the establishment of Israel in 1948 resulted in the displacement and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians—a catastrophe known as the Nakba. He examines how Palestinians have been denied political representation, cultural recognition, and the right to define their own national identity, while international discourse has often framed them either as obstacles to peace or as faceless victims of violence. Central to Said’s analysis is the argument that Palestine is not merely a political question but also a moral and cultural one, bound up with issues of justice, historical memory, and the right to resist oppression. He critiques both Western powers, particularly the United States, for their support of Israel, and Arab governments for their failures to effectively champion the Palestinian cause. At the same time, Said emphasizes the resilience of Palestinian identity and culture, highlighting how literature, memory, and collective struggle sustain the nation’s existence in the face of exile and occupation. The Question of Palestine thus serves both as an indictment of historical injustices and as a call for recognizing the Palestinians as a people with legitimate rights and aspirations, making it one of the most influential and humanizing works on the conflict.