In times of turmoil books become important resources that can elucidate history, can provide nuance to news headlines, and can examine and illuminate some of the most important issues of the day. Recently we’ve heard from a number of professors who have been re-reading and re-discovering Side by Side: Parallel Histories of Israel-Palestine by Sami Adwan, Dan Bar-On, Eyal Naveh, and Peace Research Institute in the Middle East (PRIME). Side by Side is a groundbreaking, riveting, and unprecedented “dual narrative” of Israeli and Palestinian history. Translated into English from Arabic and Hebrew, Side by Side presents the history of two peoples, in separate narratives set literally side by side, so that readers can track each against the other, noting both where they differ as well as where they correspond. This eye-opening and innovative approach to thinking about one of the world’s most deeply entrenched conflicts has long been a useful resource for educators as it invites students and other readers to consider and process the very different viewpoints and logic of each side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and perhaps find a bridge to peace.

 

The excerpt below includes chapter one, which tells the history of the Balfour Declaration, a statement made by the British government in 1917 that announced its support for the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people.