Biden seen picking up anti-Israel book during Black Friday shopping
Outgoing United States President Joe Biden was seen carrying a book described as anti-Israel during his Black Friday shopping spree in Massachusetts. The book, "The Hundred Years's War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917-2017," is authored by Rashid Khalidi, a Columbia University professor emeritus. The text depicts the establishment of Israel as a form of "colonialism" met with Palestinian "resistance."
Author's reaction to Biden's book selection
After the picture went viral, Khalidi, who is of Palestinian-Lebanese descent, responded by stating, "My reaction is that this is four years too late." Biden has publicly identified himself as a Zionist, voicing support for Israel. He once told Israeli President Isaac Herzog, "You don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist." Supporters of Israel in the US, however, chastised Biden for suspending delivery of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel earlier this year after criticizing the war's humanitarian toll.
Khalidi's book critique of Trump's policies
Published in early 2020, Khalidi's book contends that Palestine's history is a colonial war against its indigenous population, to compel them to relinquish their homeland. It also condemns former President Donald Trump's administration for being a "mouthpiece" for Israel and describes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government as "the most extreme" in Israel's history. The author suggests "a path based on equality and justice" that ends "the oppression of one people by another."
