The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of Gaza and the Occupied Territories

This book by the expatriate Israeli historian Prof. Ilan Pappe, like his other book "Ten Myths About Israel," has transformed my understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict. In "The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of the Occupied Territories," Prof. Pappe uses the metaphor of the prison to elucidate how Israel has treated the Palestinians under its rule in the territories (the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza) it has illegally occupied since its pre-emptive Six-day War in 1967.The disenfranchised Palestians living in the Occupied Territories were and are expected to meekly submit to one of two governance models: the Open-Air Prison more generally prevalent in the West Bank, or the Maximum Security Prison imposed on Gaza since 2006. With no path to citizenship and without any rights under military rule, Palestinians in these areas are in the position of a colonized people, albeit with little hope of self-determination.Their dilemma, Pappe shows, was a product of the Zionist impulse that sought to create a "Greater Israel" whilst avoiding a formal annexation that might result in the opprobrium of the international community and possible sanction under international law. At least until recently, this strategy enabled Israel to circumvent international law and global censure as it stole Palestinian land, created vast new Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories and left the Palestinians in a stateless limbo. This creation of an apartheid regime and the concomitant deception of the international community lies at the heart of the Israel - Palestine conflict and accounts for much of the duplicity Israel displays on the international stage.The book covers the period from 1948 until 2017, but needless to say is highly relevant in view of events in Gaza since October 7, 2023. I highly recommend this book.

WERY WELL written by THE BRAVEST Jew alive today!

With the current terrible situation in Gaza and Israel, I've been trying to find out more about the background. The courageous and honest Jewish Israeli historian, Illan Pappe, has access to Israeli government archives, that are not so accessible to non-Hebrew speakers, and he paints a dire picture. From the founding of Israel, based on a UN resolution, in which the inhabitants of Palestine had no say, the Zionists have been occupying more and more land that was not intended for them under the original UN resolution. With sophisticated plans and propaganda they have been seeking pretexts to de facto annect more and more Palestinian land, so that a Two-State "solution" is now no longer possible, despite the the now belated bleatings of some Western governments. This is documented in detail in the sources quoted by Pappe, which set out the statements of leading Israeli politicians from the 1940s until recently. Since the founding of Israel, all other relevant UN resolutions have been blatantly ignored, with the support of the USA. The encroaching occupation of Palestine and the tailor-made Israeli laws to justify these crimes according to international law, that have been widely ignored by the world, are meticulously set out in this book. In particular, the sections dealing with Gaza, this tiny strip of land that is home to a couple of million human beings, most of whom were driven from their homes (even before this terrible war), and the plans to make it uninhabitable for Palestinians are horrific. And this book was written almost 7 years ago!My review is in no way a justification of the heinous attack by Hamas on 7 October 2023. Impartial and honest/unhypocrital people, however, have to agree with António Guterres that this horrendous attack did not happen in a vacuum. Pappe's book explains the context.This book really is a "must read" for anyone who is open-minded and intelligent enough to see through the propaganda.

We hear a lot about the superiority of the Western Liberal Democracy. This form of government is supposed to protect free thought, freedom and justice. Yet when one reads Ilan Pappe’s book and other books dealing with the suppression of the Palestinians one wonders where are the Liberal Democracies to be found. The North American Democracies and the European Democracies openly support Israel which is also a Democracy.It is very puzzling to form an opinion about Liberal or Western Democracies.

The book entitled “The biggest prison on earth “is an eye opener and should be a must for education on the Middle East.

I haven't finished reading it as it is very sad. People of Gaza have suffered for over 75 years. Ilan Pappe describes the history of the occupation and the NAKBA of 1948. So, it is a very interesting book but also harrowing in relation to today's genocide of Gaza by Israel and the western governments.

We have to and must educate ourselves on the history of Palestine in order to understand the horrific genocide that has been taking place. AMAZON STOP SUPPORTING ISRAEL

This is the fourth Pappe book I have read. While some of his books (including this one) are hard to read because of their content, they offer invaluable information that is not widely known by the general public. If you are interested in getting a better idea of the history of what is going on in Gaza today, I highly recommend this book. Thank you again, Prof. Pappe, for your insights and for your bravery.

Los que tengan un interés por un crimen que se mantiene a la vista de todos desde hace más de 70 años, y que ahora resulta espeluznante.Los que aboguen por la dignidad humana y sus derechos.Leedlo.

Das Buch beschreibt den Zustand in Palästina, es ist tatsächlich ein riesen freiluft Gefängnis.Heut zu tage gehört sowas sogar schon zum Allgemeinwissen jedes Menschen(sollte). Es sollte dabei auch Allgemeinwissen sein dass, das Buch nicht antisemitisch ist und auch keine Religion beschuldigt wird, sondern Staaten.

I wasn't aware of how badly the Palestinians were treated from early on after 1948.