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Arab and Islamic Studies
Building a Palestinian State: The Incomplete Revolution
" . . . an analysis that is as intricate and flawless as it is devastating . . . [Robinson's] presentation is powerful and compelling and his scholarship impeccable." ―MESA Bulletin
". . . [an] excellent book. In just 200 pages, Glenn Robinson manages to give the clearest and most concise analysis of the changing political and social structure of the West Bank and Gaza and of current political realities that I have read." ―Digest of Middle Eastern Studies
". . . a fair and sensitive account and contains the best available assessment of the Intifada's political aftermath among Palestinians. An added bonus is that the book is written in an accessible style with enough historical background and contextual explanation to make it ideal as a text for courses in Middle East politics or the politics of revolutions." ―American Political Science Review
"Well-researched, original, scholarly; deserves the attention of those interested in revolutionary theory or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." ―Choice
"Throughout, the book is impressively researched and very well-written. . . . Building a Palestinian State is a book that deserves to be widely read." ―Journal of Palestine Studies
". . . a well-informed and tightly argued analysis of the evolution of politcal leadership in the West Bank and Gaza from the 1980s to the spring of 1996. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the historical backdrop to current political developments in the areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority." ―Middle East Policy
". . . carefully researched and balanced study . . ." ―Times Literary Supplement
" . . . provides a unique analysis of the various facets of grassroots organizations and their interaction with the emerging state institutions . . . a major and very timely contribution." ―Anne Lesch
In this well informed and accessibly written book, Glenn E. Robinson traces the emergence of a new political elite in the West Bank and Gaza in the 1980s and the grassroots political and social revolution it launched during the Intifada.
". . . [an] excellent book. In just 200 pages, Glenn Robinson manages to give the clearest and most concise analysis of the changing political and social structure of the West Bank and Gaza and of current political realities that I have read." ―Digest of Middle Eastern Studies
". . . a fair and sensitive account and contains the best available assessment of the Intifada's political aftermath among Palestinians. An added bonus is that the book is written in an accessible style with enough historical background and contextual explanation to make it ideal as a text for courses in Middle East politics or the politics of revolutions." ―American Political Science Review
"Well-researched, original, scholarly; deserves the attention of those interested in revolutionary theory or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." ―Choice
"Throughout, the book is impressively researched and very well-written. . . . Building a Palestinian State is a book that deserves to be widely read." ―Journal of Palestine Studies
". . . a well-informed and tightly argued analysis of the evolution of politcal leadership in the West Bank and Gaza from the 1980s to the spring of 1996. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the historical backdrop to current political developments in the areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority." ―Middle East Policy
". . . carefully researched and balanced study . . ." ―Times Literary Supplement
" . . . provides a unique analysis of the various facets of grassroots organizations and their interaction with the emerging state institutions . . . a major and very timely contribution." ―Anne Lesch
In this well informed and accessibly written book, Glenn E. Robinson traces the emergence of a new political elite in the West Bank and Gaza in the 1980s and the grassroots political and social revolution it launched during the Intifada.
- GenresMiddle East
248 pages, Paperback
First published March 22, 1997
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 16, 2026
Robinson narrates the development of political institutions in Palestine up to the immediate aftermath of the 1996 Palestinian elections. He manages to tell a compelling story about the rise of a new Palestinian middle class, primarily drawn from the Palestinian universities established in the middle of the 20th century. With this middle class as his protagonist, he describes their failure to create a properly “bourgeois democratic” state in the age of democratic revolution (1990s).
His writing is clean and readily understandable, and it reads easily for an academic political science book. His thesis is well argued, not overblowing the evidence while still sufficiently elaborating the nuance of his argument. The reader is bound to learn about Palestine from a novel vantage point: the internal political economy of Palestine, from the ottoman era to Israeli occupation.
The book provides an understanding of the intifada as an authentic bourgeois revolution which was crushed by force, initially Israeli but later PA forces after the signing of the Oslo agreement. The often neglected struggle of Palestinians against both Israeli and Palestinian elite oppression. Palestinian elites sold out their countrymen to the Jews in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Failing to come to terms with the dual struggle of the Palestinians results in incomprehension of the current dynamics of occupation and colonization. Robinson details how Israel and Fatah’s interests coincided in creating a dictatorial state based on patronage and foreign rents in Palestine: not a free, democratic Palestine for which the martyrs of the intifada had died.
Robinson leaves room for a learned discussion on Hamas as a Palestinian political formation, understanding its dynamic relationship with both Fatah and Israel. He dispels myths about Hamas being Israel’s sole creation, but he lays out ample evidence of Israel doling out repression selectively, especially against Fatah during the intifada. Thus, he shows the naïveté and brutality of Israeli policy in the West Bank, from the merciless university closures to hostage taking and organized crime.
Anyone curious about the failure of the peace process should read this book. Previous histories of the conflict tended not to center domestic Palestinian developments, treating them as secondary to Israeli or Arab policies. Yet Robinson convincingly shows the importance of Palestinian political history. All I wish he did was add more on political economy, but that’s my preference. Wonderful read
His writing is clean and readily understandable, and it reads easily for an academic political science book. His thesis is well argued, not overblowing the evidence while still sufficiently elaborating the nuance of his argument. The reader is bound to learn about Palestine from a novel vantage point: the internal political economy of Palestine, from the ottoman era to Israeli occupation.
The book provides an understanding of the intifada as an authentic bourgeois revolution which was crushed by force, initially Israeli but later PA forces after the signing of the Oslo agreement. The often neglected struggle of Palestinians against both Israeli and Palestinian elite oppression. Palestinian elites sold out their countrymen to the Jews in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Failing to come to terms with the dual struggle of the Palestinians results in incomprehension of the current dynamics of occupation and colonization. Robinson details how Israel and Fatah’s interests coincided in creating a dictatorial state based on patronage and foreign rents in Palestine: not a free, democratic Palestine for which the martyrs of the intifada had died.
Robinson leaves room for a learned discussion on Hamas as a Palestinian political formation, understanding its dynamic relationship with both Fatah and Israel. He dispels myths about Hamas being Israel’s sole creation, but he lays out ample evidence of Israel doling out repression selectively, especially against Fatah during the intifada. Thus, he shows the naïveté and brutality of Israeli policy in the West Bank, from the merciless university closures to hostage taking and organized crime.
Anyone curious about the failure of the peace process should read this book. Previous histories of the conflict tended not to center domestic Palestinian developments, treating them as secondary to Israeli or Arab policies. Yet Robinson convincingly shows the importance of Palestinian political history. All I wish he did was add more on political economy, but that’s my preference. Wonderful read
Displaying 1 of 1 review