Book cover titled 'A History of Palestine in Five Fruits' by Ian Wellens, with a white background and green, orange, and yellow text.

“This is a true story. A true story about a small place. A small place at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. We are in the region which has been known, at different times, as Canaan, as Bilad al-Sham, as Greater Syria, as al-Mashriq and as the Levant.

This story is about a part of that land. It is about a place called Palestine. A land of olives, oranges, dates, eggplants and watermelons.

It is also a story of a people. A people who refuse to disappear. A people who refuse to give up.

It is a story of sumud, which means steadfastness.”

“Such a beautiful, poetic, wonderful text. Ian Wellens has covered everything, and so very well … a great pleasure to read.”
— Lynne Segal, Professor Emerita, Birkbeck, University of London

“Land.
People.
Trees.
Inseparable.
Controlling the first required
the removal of the second.
And perhaps it was always going to become
impossible
for the newcomers to tolerate
the continued presence of the third.
Perhaps it was always
inevitable
that, sooner or later,
the olive trees would become a problem,
and would have to go.”