Born in Beit Eiba, a small village near Nablus, while Palestine was still ruled under the British Mandate, Hasan Afif El-Hasan, Ph.D, is a political analyst and journalist whose work is published in Al-Ahram, PalestineChronicle.com and other print and online media.

Dr. El-Hasan lived through the 1948 Arab–Israeli war, then the annexation of the West Bank to Jordan. He witnessed the defeat of the Arab armies, the exodus of the Palestinians, the total dissolution of their community and the ensuing chaos. The Iraqi military contingent camp was on his village’s land in 1948 but as the Iraqi commanding officer said, “We have no orders to fight.” This paradoxical situation inspired the author’s future research and writing. After completing high school in the West Bank, Mr. El-Hasan earned his teaching credentials in Nablus and taught math and science in its secondary schools. Later he came to the United States, where he earned a B.S. degree in electronics engineering and an M.S. in electrical engineering, and enjoyed a successful career in technology. He then earned a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California at Riverside and went on to study the origins and the context of the current conflict. 

 

Written by a Palestinian with intimate knowledge of the political and physical landscape of the region, at its basic level the book advocates for a just peace based on the human rights and international law, a peace which all parties to the...

Written by a Palestinian with intimate knowledge of the political and physical landscape of the region, at its basic level the book advocates for a just peace based on the human rights and international law, a peace which all parties to the century-old conflict need. In this history of Palestine, the author shows that both sides of the conflict as well as the international community share the blame for the failure to bring the issue to a just conclusion. Most of the responsibility, he says, lies at the door of the Palestinian leaders themselves, who seem to suffer from institutionalized incompetence in dealing with the Israelis; and the Israelis are to be blamed for their refusal to transform their colonial enterprise into reconciliation politics by acknowledging the claims of the indigenous Palestinian people. At the same time, there is every sign that this impasse was deliberately created at the outset by the international community, led by Great Britain, in the endless game of "divide and rule." Unlike many optimistic writers who expect US President Barack Obama and his administration to find a just solution to the conflict, the author concludes that the Obama Administration would have to reverse the traditional US policy in the Middle East entirely if it is to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Delving into the historical background behind all the parties to the issue, the book provides much-needed background for understanding news events today and basic information that even human rights activists and peace organizations may not have fully appreciated. Throughout, the author seeks to transcend his ethnicity and deal fairly with the positions of people holding different worldviews.

Recent Articles by Hasan Afif El-Hasan...If the Palestinian struggle is for statehood and political and civil rights, rather than to receive international handouts, then life in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the refugee camps is as bad as in Gaza. Unfortunately, foreign supporters of Israel and even Arab news media and journalists bought into the Israeli and US claim that the conditions in the West Bank are good, the economic peace is working, the growth of the economy had surpassed...

Recent Articles by Hasan Afif El-Hasan...If the Palestinian struggle is for statehood and political and civil rights, rather than to receive international handouts, then life in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the refugee camps is as bad as in Gaza. Unfortunately, foreign supporters of Israel and even Arab news media and journalists bought into the Israeli and US claim that the conditions in the West Bank are good, the economic peace is working, the growth of the economy had surpassed expectations and the people are prospering.... There is nothing further from the truth! Growth of economy that is based on international donations and subject to unpredictable daily whims and manipulations of the occupation power is nothing but a lie.... There can be no viable economy to speak of while Israel s unchallenged control of the occupied lands deprives the indigenous Palestinians from controlling their resources, the land, water, borders and commerce...Read full text here - Palestine Chronicle June 23, 2010The Arabs, Weak by Choice - AL-AHRAM, 6 - 12 May 2010 Issue No. 997. The history of the Arab League since its inception in 1944 suggests that the Arab regimes have long chosen to be weak and irrelevant, writes Hasan Afif El-Hasan...While Arab nationalism is "ingrained in the soul of Arab individuals based on the sentiments of a glorious past", Arab unity is today still needed to deal with the challenges of 21st-century orientalism.... Today, the Arab League has chosen not to back up its policies to deal with Arab problems, and its members have chosen not to translate promises into deeds. The support the Palestinians receive from the Arab League comes only in the form of occasional rhetoric and the advice to accept Israeli- American dictates.The Arab states have assumed the role of mediators, rather than defenders, of the Palestinians. And, despite their close relations with Washington, the moderate Arab regimes have no influence on US policy towards the Palestinians if they wish to intervene on their behalf. While the 2006 Arab League summit in Khartoum pledged to fund the Palestinian Authority, no money was provided because members yielded to an Israeli- and US-led campaign to deny aid to the Hamas-led government....Read full text here -AL-AHRAM, 6 - 12 May 2010 Issue No. 997