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President Biden’s Black Friday Book Choice Sparks Controversy Over Israel-Palestine Discourse
Edited by: Fern Sidman
Retiring President Joe Biden made headlines on Black Friday, not just for his holiday shopping but for his choice of reading material, as reported by The New York Post. During a visit to Nantucket Bookworks, Biden was seen holding a copy of Rashid Khalidi’s The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917-2017. The book, authored by a Columbia University professor emeritus, has drawn criticism for its framing of Israel’s establishment as “colonialism” and its portrayal of Palestinian responses as resistance.
🇺🇸💯👉𝗕𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗦 𝗨𝗣 𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜-𝗜𝗦𝗥𝗔𝗘𝗟 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗗𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗕𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗚
President Biden was spotted picking up an anti-Israel book during his Black Friday shopping, a move that has been criticized by the book’s author as being four… pic.twitter.com/Qdspm4tVt6
— Son of Whisper Dan ❤️🇺🇸💯 (@FaultlessWisdom) November 30, 2024
As indicated in The New York Post report, Khalidi’s book argues that the modern history of Palestine is best understood as a colonial conflict, with various powers forcing the indigenous population to cede their homeland. Khalidi, of Palestinian and Lebanese descent, is a prominent voice in Arab studies and has been critical of U.S. policy toward Israel, referring to former President Donald Trump’s administration as a “mouthpiece” for Israeli interests. He also accuses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of leading the “most extreme government” in Israel’s history.
Khalidi’s reaction to Biden’s public display of his book was mixed. Speaking to The New York Post, he remarked, “This is 4 years too late,” expressing frustration that such attention to his work did not come earlier. The Post clarified that Khalidi’s comments were not given under any agreed terms of confidentiality.
Biden’s public support for Israel has been a hallmark of his political career, with The New York Post recounting his self-identification as a Zionist. “You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist. I’m a Zionist,” Biden affirmed during a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog earlier this month. However, his recent actions have drawn criticism from both supporters and detractors of Israel.
Earlier this year, Biden faced backlash for pausing shipments of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, citing humanitarian concerns amid the Gaza conflict. While other forms of U.S. aid to Israel continued uninterrupted, some staunch supporters of the Jewish state viewed the move as a troubling deviation from unwavering support.
It remains unclear whether Biden purchased the book or received it as a gift during his visit to the Nantucket bookstore. According to the information provided in The New York Post report, the visit came after a family dinner at the nearby Brotherhood of Thieves restaurant and ahead of Nantucket’s annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony.
The acquisition is particularly noteworthy given the timing: just weeks after Biden’s trip to Israel in October 2023, following the Hamas terrorist attacks that claimed approximately 1,200 lives. Biden’s support for Israel’s subsequent military actions in Gaza prompted fierce backlash from activists, some of whom heckled him with chants of “Genocide Joe.”
The sight of Biden holding Khalidi’s book has ignited fresh debates over his administration’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict. As reported by The New York Post, Khalidi critiques U.S. media coverage of the conflict as disproportionately favorable to Israel, a view likely to resonate with some of Biden’s progressive critics.
At the same time, Biden’s consistent public alignment with Zionism and his long-standing support for Israel complicates any assumptions about his personal views on the book’s thesis. For critics on both sides of the debate, the moment reflects the broader complexities of Biden’s approach to Middle East policy as he prepares to leave public office.
Last November, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters rallied outside the White House, delivering a pointed message to President Joe Biden. According to the report in The New York Post, chants of “F–k Joe Biden” and “Genocide Joe has gotta go” reverberated through the crowd, with some demonstrators painting the moniker “Genocide Joe” alongside red handprints on the White House gates. The demonstration called attention to the mounting frustrations over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict and came amid heightened criticism of his administration’s policies.
As The New York Post report explained, Biden has faced growing pressure from pro-Hamas activists over his support for Israel while simultaneously sharpening his critiques of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Behind closed doors, Biden has reportedly used expletives to describe Netanyahu, reflecting the strained relationship between the two leaders. Biden’s public statements have increasingly condemned civilian casualties in Gaza, adding to tensions with Israel’s government.
These developments reflect the broader challenges Biden faces in navigating U.S. policy on the Middle East, particularly as pro-Hamas activists demand a more balanced approach.
Khalidi writes that “Trump’s people abandoned even the shabby old pretense at impartiality” and accuses the administration of becoming “the mouthpiece of the most extreme government in Israel’s history.” His book prescribes a future path rooted in “equality and justice” and critiques what he views as discriminatory policies against Palestinians, who he emphasizes include both Muslim and Christian communities.
According to the information contained in The New York Post report, Khalidi frames the Israel-Palestine conflict as a colonial struggle, likening it to other global instances of settler-colonialism. He argues that such conflicts have historically ended in one of three ways: the elimination or subjugation of the indigenous population, the expulsion of colonizers, or the abandonment of colonial supremacy through reconciliation. Khalidi asserts that the colonial nature of the conflict has largely been obscured in Western discourse, enabling Israel to continue its policies unchecked.
Khalidi’s analysis also emphasizes the persistence of Palestinian “popular resistance,” which he predicts will escalate. He praises the First Intifada, a six-year period of riots and confrontations between 1987 and 1993, as an “outstanding example of popular resistance against oppression.” According to the report in The New York Post, Khalidi describes this period as “the first unmitigated victory for the Palestinians in the long colonial war that began in 1917.”
The emergence of Khalidi’s book in public discourse, combined with the visible anger of pro-Palestinian activists, places Biden in a politically precarious position. As The New York Post report points out, Biden’s decades-long record as a staunch supporter of Israel has been called into question by recent actions, such as pausing shipments of munitions to Israel earlier this year due to humanitarian concerns.
While Biden has publicly reaffirmed his identity as a Zionist, the backlash from both pro-Israel and pro-Hamas advocates highlights the difficulty of satisfying competing demands. The protests outside the White House and the themes of Khalidi’s book shine a proverbial spotlight on a deepening divide over U.S. policy in the region, with Biden’s legacy on the issue now under intense scrutiny.
The juxtaposition of Biden’s diplomatic efforts and the critical perspectives presented in Khalidi’s book highlights the complexity of navigating U.S. policy in the Middle East.
As Biden approaches the conclusion of his presidency, his actions and choices—both political and personal—take on heightened significance. According to The New York Post, his efforts to broker cease-fires and secure hostage releases are pivotal in shaping his legacy in the region. However, the symbolic weight of carrying a book that critiques U.S. and Israeli policies may also influence how his leadership is perceived by future generations.
