Pape, I: Rise and Fall of A Palestinian Dynasty

The Husayni family of Jerusalem dominated Palestinian history for 250 years, from the Ottoman times through to the end of the British Mandate. At the height of the family's political influence, positions in Jerusalem could only be obtained through its power base.In this compelling political biography, Ilan Pappe traces the rise of the Husaynis from a provincial Ottoman elite clan into the leadership of the Palestinian national movement in the twentieth century. In telling their story, Pappe highlights the continuous urban history of Jerusalem and Palestine. Shedding new light on crucial events such as the invasion of Palestine by Napoleon, the decline of the Ottoman Empire, World War I and the advent of Zionism, this remarkable account provides an unforgettable picture of the Palestinian tragedy in its entirety.

The Husayni family of Jerusalem dominated Palestinian history for 250 years, from the Ottoman times through to the end of the British Mandate. At the height of the family's political influence, positions in Jerusalem could only be obtained through its power base. In this compelling political biography, Ilan Pappe traces the rise of the Husaynis from a provincial Ottoman elite clan into the leadership of the Palestinian national movement in the twentieth century. In telling their story, Pappe highlights the continuous urban history of Jerusalem and Palestine. Shedding new light on crucial events such as the invasion of Palestine by Napoleon, the decline of the Ottoman Empire, World War I and the advent of Zionism, this remarkable account provides an unforgettable picture of the Palestinian tragedy in its entirety.

Contents: Foreword 7 Introduction 11 Prologue 23 chapter 1 The Making of a Family: From al-Ghudayya to al-Husayni 33 chapter 2 In the Shadow of Acre and Cairo: The Third Generation 53 chapter 3 Struggling with Reform, 1840 - 76 78 chapter 4 The Death of the Old World : Towards the End of the Ottoman Era in Palestine 92 chapter 5 Facing the Young Turks: The Family as Bureaucratic Aristocracy 127 chapter 6 In the Shadow of British Military Rule: From the Politics of Notables to the Politics of Nationalism 160 chapter 7 British Betrayal and the Rise of the National Aristocracy: The First Violent Outbreak 188 chapter 8 The Grand Mufti and His Family: Al-Hajj Amin Elected Mufti 212 chapter 9 The Great Revolt: The Family as Revolutionary Aristocracy 246 chapter 10 The Family in Exile: The Husaynis and the Armed Revolt, 1937 - 8 283 chapter 11 World War II and the Nakbah: In the Midst of the Revolution in Iraq 304 Epilogue 342 Family Trees (1700 - 1948) 353 Endnotes 355 Bibliography 383 Index 393