Book Review/ Martin Sicker, 1999, Reshaping Palestine: From Muhammad Ali to the British Mandate

Martin Sicker in his book provides a comprehensive overview of the history of Palestine during the end of the Ottoman Period to the British occupation (1831-1922). The book is composed of eight chapters. The book is noteworthy due to the emphasis attributed to the reasons and consequences of the significant role that Bayt al-Maqdis plays for the world particularly for the region. Sicker focuses on Zionist immigration to Bayt al-Maqdis by providing historical accounts initiated by Bonaparte’s occupation of Egypt to Montefiore’s political initiatives conducted with the Ottoman Empire. It discusses the early stages of the Zionism, backed by European countries. It also discusses precautions Sultan Abdulhamid II had undertaken against Jewish Zionist settlement and their land purchasing activities in Bayt al-Maqdis. The book gives historical accounts and incidents that prepared the ground for a Jewish Zionists state to be founded in the region. It also shares the role of Britain and its contribution to the mandate in Palestine. In sum the book provides comprehensive information for readers who are interested in learning historical accounts about Bayt al-Maqdis/ Palestine during the 19th and 20th centuries. Consequently, the book successfully illuminates the sequences of events that have prepared the ground for establishment of a Zionist Israeli State in Bayt al-Maqdis.