"If my father’s story has taught me one lesson, it would be do not despair. He lived by and embodied that motto. Nothing was unattainable, no situation desperate enough to throw up hands and give up. There was always a solution, always ease to be found after hardship. Despite the tragic story of his family and his people, he maintained a relentless and stubborn hope. It is this attitude that led him to believe, with unwavering conviction, that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land will come to an end, that the Palestinian refugees will realise their legitimate right of return and that Israelis and Palestinians will live together in peace and prosperity as equals in a single state.

Given the events of and since 7 October 2023 in Israel–Palestine, this book is more relevant than ever, and perhaps it is down to fate’s wisdom that it is being published only now. These tragic developments cannot be isolated from their historical and political context; they are the culmination of more than seven decades of history, which are duly analysed in this memoir. They show that the status quo is untenable and that it is high time, for the sake of peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike, for action to be taken – not only to end the current tragedy but also to finally address and resolve the root causes of recurrent crises and suffering. Namely, seventy-six years of Palestinian dispossession and subjugation, fifty-seven years of military occupation of Palestinian land, seventeen years of illegal blockading of Gaza and chronic impunity for violations of international law.

And change is possible. As the International Court of Justice prepares its ruling in South Africa v. Israel, in which Israel stands accused of committing the crime of genocide against the Palestinian population in Gaza, and an advisory opinion on the legal status of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and decades-long denial of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, the next few months and years will be instrumental in shaping the future of Palestine and Israel. These days have also seen an unprecedented rise in awareness worldwide of the Palestinian cause, marking a generational shift. Despite decades of frustration and defeat, a fast-growing movement of people advocating for the respect of universal principles of international law, accountability, human rights and justice for Palestinians gives cause for hope that the future will be more grounded in these principles, more just and more peaceful.

With eternal gratitude to my unconditionally loving old man, as he called himself, who imbued me with a passion for justice and for the Palestinian cause, I send this book into the world in the hope that my father’s story will inspire readers just as it has inspired me, and that brighter days will shine upon his Palestine."
 

from the Foreword by Nada Tarbush

"As impressive a man as the Arab world has to show."
 

Edward Said on Mohammad Tarbush

"My Palestine portrays, with profound sympathy and knowledge, the courage of the long-suffering Palestinian people as they cope with the catastrophe that has befallen them. It is, above all, an intimate and moving account of the resourcefulness of the human spirit to endure."
 

Abdulrazak Gurnah

"This autobiography offers a gripping account of the trajectory – from destitute refugee to writer, scholar, banker and public advocate – of an extraordinary individual, while at the same time illustrating the story of the Palestinian people. Politically astute and sensitive to the nuances of the Western societies where he was educated and worked, Mohammad Tarbush describes living in a world where Palestinians did not exist, or existed only as the nemesis of Israelis, and his efforts to remedy this erasure and this bias."
 

Rashid Khalidi

"Far more than a memoir, Mohammad Tarbush’s remarkable and courageous life, which he narrates with great lyricism, offers readers a keyhole through which to see the immense forces that created one nation by stealing another. While insisting on justice for the crimes of the ongoing Nakba, Tarbush’s vision for a shared future – rooted in true equality for all people from the river to the sea - feels at once inevitable and irresistible."
 

Naomi Klein

"With righteous indignation, his heart thumping, but a fair mind, his reasoning untainted by hate, Mohammad Tarbush delineates the catastrophe that has befallen his people, starting with his own family, and articulates how there can be no way forward in the Middle East but through truth-telling, good faith, justice, and co-existence. This book is a work of necessity and hope. Read it and be wiser."
 

Yann Martel

"A fascinating story about a boy who follows his dreams against all odds. About good people along the way. About help, compassion and friendship. And about the power of belonging to a landscape, to one’s family and to the family of man. This autobiography teaches us that nothing can destroy human spirit and there are no weapons that can kill hope."
 

Nurit Peled-Elhanan

"A poignant account of one Palestinian’s life journey, from the dispossession of the Nakba to international recognition in exile and a life of activism in pursuit of Palestinian national rights. An unforgettable book."
 

Eugene Rogan

"Here is a book with a big heart. A personal as well as political history of Palestine. Poignantly written and closely argued. It’s impossible to read this and continue to argue for the status quo."
 

Arundhati Roy

"The interplay of optimism and sorrow in this memoir is extraordinary. The story of Mohammad Tarbush is a story of Palestine, but also the story of a singular, remarkable Palestinian."
 

Kamila Shamsie

"This is a tale of resilience and perseverance of an extraordinary man beautifully rendered and replete with joy and hope."
 

Raja Shehadeh