A Short Course on Palestine with Rashid Khalidi

A course on modern Middle Eastern history was originally scheduled to be taught at Columbia University in Fall 2025. However, as Columbia continues its complicity in covering up the U.S.-Israeli genocide against Palestine and capitulates to the Trump administration at the expense of academic freedom and student rights, Professor Rashid Khalidi found it impossible to teach his course. This segment of the course, entitled A Short Course on Palestine, will now be offered at The People’s Forum, making it accessible to the broader public.

For the full syllabus for this course, readings, and a student portal, see the People’s Forum Short Course on Palestine page.

Brought to you by The People’s Forum

The course examines the history of Palestine since 1917, not as a “conflict” between equals but as a century-long process of settler-colonial dispossession and persistent Palestinian resistance. It traces the rise of Zionism, emerging from European anti-Semitism and supported by imperial powers, and how Israel has relied on backing from Britain, the United States, and other global powers to pursue wars and consolidate control. At the same time, it highlights the continuous efforts of the Palestinian people to resist occupation, preserve their homeland, and assert their rights in the face of ongoing oppression and violence.

Short Course on Palestine Class 1: The Origins of The Hundred Years War – September 30, 2025

Short Course on Palestine Class 2: The 1947-1949 War and The Nakba – October 7, 2025

Short Course on Palestine Class 3: The 1967 and 1982 Wars – The United States Steps In – October 14, 2025

Short Course on Palestine Class 4: Wars on Gaza and the “Peace Process” – October 21, 2025

Short Course on Palestine Class 5: Genocide in Gaza – October 28, 2025