Draft:The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian Dynasty; The Husaynis, 1700-1948

The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian Dynasty: The Husaynis 1700–1948 is a 2010 history book written by Israeli historian Ilan Pappé  and published by University of California Press. The book revolves around the Al-Husayni family of Jerusalem, which was a politically influential family in Palestine between the 18th and 20th century.

Background
Ilan Pappé is part of what is known as the Israeli new historians, a group of academics who challenged the prevailing narratives regarding the history of the state of Israel by highlighting the cost of the partition of the land to the Palestinians. As part of this movement, Ilan Pappé has written several books regarding the Palestine-Israel conflict, however, in The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian Dynasty, he shifted his focus to chronicling the history of Palestine before World War II and the partition of Palestine.

Summery
The The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian Dynasty is a biographical retelling of the history of the Al-Husayni family of Jerusalem. It starts by telling the history of the Husaynis rising influence in the 18th century and detailing the social status of Al-Mufti and Al-Ashraf, which were titles used for religious and clan leaders. In the 2nd and 3rd chapters the book details how the family used political marriages to cement it's status and its relationship to the Ottoman leadership in Istanbul. The 4th and 5th chapters discuss the final years of the Ottoman empire and the turmoil caused by their declining control ending with the collapse of the empire during world war I. Chapter 6 focuses on Al Husaynis rule during the period of British occupation of Palestine between 1917-1920 and the struggle against military rule lead by them and other influential families.

With Chapter 7, Pappé details the arabs reactions to the growing Zionist movement, starting by the Arab's reaction to the Balfour declaration and the various attempt at organizing and sending delegations to leaders around the world to make the case for Palestinian independence, the chapter ends with the details of the meeting between a Palestinian delegation, led by Musa Kazim Pasha al-Husayni and Winston Churchill, which ended with the delegation feeling unable to reverse the course of the Belfour declaration.

Chapters 8-10 focuses to one of the most prolific members of the family, the Grand Mufti Amin al-Husseini, his involvement in internal struggles inside Palestine, his rise in power after the 1936–1939 Arab revolt against the British mandate, and his later exile to Syria, the Iraq and from there to Europe. The book ends with the lead up to 1948 Arab-Israeli war in which several of the Husaynis lead military factions. The war, which ended with the displacement of many Palestinians, in what is known as the Nakba, also signified the end of the Husaynis influence in Palestinian politics, even though some of them survived in exile.