Reading Herzl in Beirut

In September 1982, Israeli forces invaded West Beirut and Israel-allied Lebanese militias massacred Palestinians in refugee camps. At the same time, the Israeli military also raided and ransacked the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Research Center, hauling the complete library back to Israel. This sparked resounding protests, with activists framing this as an assault on Palestinian culture in addition to physical damage. In November 1983, Israel returned the library as part of a prisoner exchange. Reading Herzl in Beirut (Princeton University Press) traces the story of the PLO Research Center.