Is a picture worth a thousand words? As Robert Spencer discussed here, President Joe Biden was photographed on Black Friday coming out of a bookstore on Nantucket, holding a copy of a polemic posing as history — “The Hundred Years’ War On Palestine,” by Rashid Khalidi, a former PLO propagandist and professor, now emeritus, at the antisemitism-tolerating campus of Columbia University. More on Biden’s choice of reading material can be found here: “Biden spotted with book that accuses Israel of settler-colonialism, apartheid,” Jerusalem Post, November
US President Joe Biden was spotted leaving a bookstore in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Friday with a copy of The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017, by Palestinian-American historian Rashid Khalidi.
The purchase occurred during a holiday visit with his family as the nation kicked off the Black Friday shopping season following Thanksgiving. Photos of the outing have circulated all over X/Twitter and international media outlets.
It is unclear if Biden purchased the book or if it was handed to him. Multiple media outlets, including Fox News and The New York Post, have reached out to the White House for comment, but so far, there has been no response.
The Post also asked Khalidi about his reaction to the president holding his book.
“I do not speak to the Post (or the Times, for that matter), so this is not for publication, but my reaction is that this is four years too late,” Khalidi told the newspaper, which clarified that it did not offer or agree to any terms conditioning that response as off the record.
For years before he entered academic life, Rashid Khalidi worked as a PLO spokesman and propagandist in Beirut. He comments frequently on the Arab-Israeli war. His latest was a remark made on social media about the Hamas atrocities committed on October 7, 2023. He has described the raping, torturing, and murder of 1,200 Israelis as no doubt “gruesome,” but on the other hand, they must be understood as acts of “resistance” against “the violent European settler-colonial methods employed by Zionism to transform Palestine into the land of Israel.’”
Khalidi’s book, first published in 2020, presents a controversial perspective on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The historian, known for his outspoken critique of Israeli policies, describes Palestine’s modern history as “a colonial war waged against the indigenous population by various parties to force them to relinquish their homeland.” His framing has drawn both praise and criticism for its sharp departure from traditional narratives.
The book highlights key moments such as the 1917 Balfour Declaration, the 1948 establishment of Israel – referred to as “the destruction of Palestine” – Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, and the “endless, futile peace process.”…
His book does not mention, however, the text of the League of Nations’ Mandate for Palestine, which in Article 6 calls upon the holder of the Mandate — the U.K. — to “facilitate Jewish immigration” and “close settlement by Jews” on the land.
Which land? All the land between the Jordan River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the east, and from the border of the Syria-Lebanon Mandate in the north to the Red Sea in the south.
Nor does Khalidi discuss Nasser’s preparations for war in May 1967, a war Israel was forced to fight against three Arab enemies — Egypt, Syria, and Jordan — simultaneously, and that threatened the existence of Israel. Nor does he discuss the next Arab attempt, in 1973, to destroy the Jewish state.
Though the Jews have been living in the Land of Israel for 3500 years, Khalidi refuses to recognize that they are not, and cannot be, colonialists in their own land. He assigns indigeneity to the Palestinian Arabs — who did not exist as a separate people but were invented for obvious propaganda purposes in the mid-1960s. He would not wish people to know about the truth-telling by Zuheir Mohsen, the “Palestinian” leader of the terrorist group. As Saiqa. In a 1970 interview that Mohsen gave to the Dutch newspaper Die Trouw, he said: “The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct ‘Palestinian people’ to oppose Zionism.”
Nor would Khalidi want people to realize that the Jews were living in the Land of Israel for more than two millennia before there was a single Muslim in the world.
Since the October 7 Hamas attacks and the resulting war, Khalidi has intensified his criticism of Israel. In recent interviews, he accused Israel of conducting “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza, stating: “It is completely unclear what Israel’s political objective is. They are conducting ethnic cleansing, pushing the population of northern Gaza into the southern part of the strip. But their political goal is entirely unclear to me.”
Far from conducting “ethnic cleansing,” the IDF has made tremendous efforts to minimize civilian casualties by its elaborate means of warning people to leave areas or buildings about to be targeted. To this end, already by March the IDF had dropped nine million leaflets, sent fifteen million text messages, and made sixteen million robocalls. What “ethnic cleansing” is that? When the IDF warned residents in northern Gaza to move south, in order to avoid being hit when Israel attacked Hamas in the north, that was meant as a temporary measure, not a permanent “ethnic cleansing.”
Was Khalidi’s book one that the bookstore owner recommended, or even thrust into his hands (“no charge for you, Mr. President. I think you’ll like it”) because, as a possible supporter of the Palestinians himself, he wanted to provide the president with pro-Palestinian propaganda?
Or did Biden choose it himself, possibly because of his various contretemps with Prime Minister Netanyahu over the past year, he’s now in a mood to learn, after having thought of himself as a “lifelong Zionist,” what the “Palestinians” have to say, and who better to enlighten him on all the terrible things the Zionists have done to the “Palestinians” than a former full-time propagandist for the PLO, currently a professor emeritus at the antisemitism-tolerating Columbia University?
Given the amount of free time he will soon have, why not add another book on the subject of Israel and “Palestine” to his reading list? I’d suggest Robert Spencer’s The Palestinian Delusion, which should be eye-opening, and a useful corrective to that book by Rashid Khalidi.
Alex S Fuss says
Biden has been an Obama puppet for 4 years. Now, it seems, others are leading him around by the nose.
Bye bye, Biden.
Frank Anderson says
Several questions seem reasonable to me given the senile appearance of our sock puppet acting as president. Did he select the book? Can he read and understand it? If it can penetrate the wall of ignorance, how does he feel about the content and propositions?
I have read for various reasons in my more than 70 years of life a number of books with which I passionately disagreed. I did this to learn better what I do agree with and support. But this doddering intellect does not appear to have what it takes to make a decision whether it be to choose a book or start a war.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Frank
That was the first question that struck me when I read this story. This is a president who is known to work 10 hrs a week, and is most of the other time either napping, or out at the beach. While Robert focused on the book that Biden held, the fact that he’s completely addled was in front of mind when I saw him holding it. The questions I had were
➤ Who was his audience – who was he virtue-signaling by holding that book?
➤ Why now, after the elections are over?
➤ Given that he, or more precisely, his aides – Blinken and Sullivan – were the ones arm-twisting Israel into accepting this ceasefire, what sense did it make for him to openly signal Israel (although they know it already) that he’s not on their side?
And today, he’s pardoned Hunter. I doubt he has any respect left
Frank Anderson says
I see no reason to disagree with your observations and opinions. .
gravenimage says
+1
rick says
“Given the amount of free time he will soon have, why not add another book on the subject of Israel and “Palestine” to his reading list? ”
Yes, but can Biden read? That means reading the sentences and figuring out what those sentences mean and how they compare with everything Biden has ever known about Israel. I doubt he has this capability now.
Wellington says
Imagine Biden trying to explain in a cogent way the founding of Zionism, the Sykes-Picot Agreement, the Balfour Declaration, the establishment of Transjordan, the 1939 White Paper and the 1947 UN division plan for what constituted the British Mandate. Yeah, imagine.
America has been nominally led the past four years by an extremely deficient (and corrupt) human being. His name is Joe Biden and he is a monumental disgrace, a man with no honor and no virtues. Almost everything he has done in his some 50 year political career has been self-serving and wrong.
That America might very well survive such a wretched man as President stands as yet another tribute to the Founding Fathers of America who set up a governmental system that could actually weather an utter miscreant and disaster like Joe Biden being at the helm. Time will tell.
gravenimage says
So true, Wellington.
James Lincoln says
Biden may as well be carrying a copy of the Koran.
Walter Sieruk says
Yes, what creepy old Joe does chose in his reading material does reveals something about him . to be or clear it does play a part in exposing his demonically deluded way of thinking which is reflected of his foreign approach of being to negative towards the State of Israel that he wants to that nation on two parts Likewise,it is a reflection of him striving to give those despots in power in that hostile anti- Israel tyrannicidal Islamic regime of Iran everything they demand.
Walter Sieruk says
That fiendish villain and treacherous rat , Joe Biden had let it slip and accidentally revealed true colors , which are Red and Green. As in the “Red/Green alliance” in this specific case , with that book he’s holding on that sinister hands that is an anti –Israel , anti-Jewish book.
Therefore ,it figures that Biden even had the diabolical gall to attempt to impose sanctions on the Israel Defense Force all the while he’s providing that aggressive Israel and America hating hostile Islamic regime of Iran, which supports Hamas, with billions of dollars and then he wants to send Iran even more money Before this betrayal of the State of Israel and the United States ,Biden allowed that Islamic tyranny that to obtain billions of dollars . How terribly wicked of Biden .For that belligerent ”mullah regime” of Iran calls Israel “The little Satan and the US “The great Satan.”
Truly, Biden is a treacherous scoundrel
somehistory says
OT
“Texans’ Azeez Al-Shaair comes under scrutiny over Trevor Lawrence hit, pro-Palestinian cleats”
According to him….
“[Other people] try to make a disconnect and dehumanize people over there. And it’s like, they’re human beings. Being a Muslim, we see everybody the same; Black, White, Spanish, whatever you are; you can be orange, like, we’re all human beings.””
He is either lying, or he’s totally ignorant of how ‘mozlums “see everybody.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/texans-azeez-al-shaair-comes-under-scrutiny-over-trevor-lawrence-hit-pro-palestinian-cleats/ar-AA1v5b2X?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=19d6e7465958423098e158679aba246f&ei=31
jule says
If I bought a book like that, it would be to see how much was propaganda and maybe get the gut fired if lies could be proven How can this be in Universities? Free speech does not mean Lies, slander, incitements and teaching those things to students just cannot be allowed. But I don’t think Biden would have any intention of criticising the guy or looking for propaganda. I think its a must to get these propagandists out of Education! (even out of our country)
I cannot accept these things and to see others do & just believe like its truth with no research, no question, no listening to anyone saying different, makes feel like I might have a stroke. Its too much. I can only hope in Trump and who works with him. AND who is elected next.
Shalom says
I so agree, it does make me feel ill too, so many articles every day of despicable things happening to Jewish people.
Shalom says
I was so angry when I saw that book displayed so prominently in a local bookstore last year.
James Lincoln says
Biden doesn’t read Jihad Watch to learn about islam.
He relies on a book by a PLO propagandist.
Frank Anderson says
James, when I questioned the “Religion of Peace” LIE to my Rabbi, one of the best friends I ever had (past tense), he exploded because an imam in rabbinical school had sold him the lie. Judaism teaches to ask every question repeatedly because each time it is asked the answer comes closer to the truth, which will never be known completely in this life. When the same question was raised at the Conservative congregation, I was asked to leave because I must not disturb members who wish for peace with Muslims. Viktor Frankl’s delusion of reprieve is active in the Democrat party, for which 80 percent of US Jews voted. I have worked and fought to endure misery and hardship to allow others to lead me to suicide. Spencer’s quote of the results of the blind leading the blind remains true. Best wishes for all reading.
gravenimage says
I know I have said this to you before, Frank, but I am *so* sorry this happened to you.
Frank Anderson says
Honored GI, I am sorry to have lost a community that I imagined included at least some friends. But, learning that it did not was far more important than living in a deluded state. One true friend in the distant past, who had literally a day for me when nobody else had 5 minutes, loved to say, “The test of a man is what he does when in doubt.” The test in this case revealed I was in the wrong place with unreliable people pretending to be friends. I am better without them and the drag associated with trying to conform to their wishes. There are for me better friends to find and spend my time sharing life and learning. It is sad for me to watch as a community I admire strives for its own destruction. Half of Germany’s Jews refused to believe Hitler wanted them out or dead. Now 80 percent of US Jews refuse to believe what Islam has taught and practiced for 1400 years. Peace be with you. Frank
gravenimage says
There is sadly a *lot* of willful ignorance out there, Frank. Many cannot bear knowing something ugly and threatening, and so prefer to think it does not exist. We “Cassandras” warning of the threat so often get thrown under the bus.
But we cannot get discouraged.
Frank Anderson says
I believe I have seen that you have read Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning”. He survived Nazi death camps as an MD Psychiatrist by studying why other inmates did not commit suicide. I have written here a number of times that the difference between then and now is that then the death camps were imposed by others. Now people are willingly surrendering themselves for murder by allowing those who want them dead to control their lives. Not me. Not you. Not today.
gravenimage says
Hear, hear, Frank!
Frank Anderson says
GI, do you remember my true story about working a temporary job in San Francisco in 1986 and the disappointment I felt when it ended instead off becoming permanent? Looking at San Francisco after I left, between the earthquake and the homeless invasion, not to mention the continuing problems of the company, God was kind to force me to move on. Things that seem to be great losses and disappointments at the time can become serious blessings.
gravenimage says
Grimly true, Frank–most things here have not gotten better during this time. Glad that you eventually found it advantageous to move on.
I did have the good fortune to meet my beloved husband in 1988–we’ve been together for 36 years now as of last month. But not everything here has been so positive…
James Lincoln says
Frank,
Thank you for your reply, and so sorry that this had happened to you.
Some people – for whatever reason – will not believe the truth even when they are broadsided with 100% reliable evidence.
It’s incredibly hard for truth seekers – like yourself and folks here at Jihad Watch – to understand their “mental gymnastics”. Perhaps the truth takes them out of their “comfort zone”, but that is just a guess.
Very best wishes always.
Frank Anderson says
James, it is better that it did happen than to continue living in the wrong place. “Eggs must be broken to make an omelet.” When the teachings are incredibly sound and profoundly inspiring, and the practice is suicidal, there are better places.
gravenimage says
Biden Chooses His Reading Material
……………………………….
Just sickening. And Kamas was likely even more antisemitic–and less literate. We dodged a bullet last month…