Palestine and Genocide: An International Historical Perspective Revisited

This commentary reviews the responses to an earlier article, ‘Palestine in an International Historical Perspective on Genocide’ (Holy Land Studies, 9:1, 1–25), arguing that they illustrate both the possibilities and the limitations of serious debate about these issues. The responses mostly neglected the analytical core of the argument relating to 1948, which is therefore restated, emphasising Palestine's unique combination of elements that were parts of three general patterns implicated in genocide production (settler colonialism, East European nationalism, conflicts of decolonisation). The paper also gives further attention to the implications of the perspective for understanding the ‘genocide’ question in the subsequent history of the Israel-Palestine conflict.