How Islamism became a leading force in the Palestinian resistanceIn Road to October 7, Erik Skare argues that Palestinian Islamism is far more complex and dynamic than generally assumed. The phenomenon has continuously developed through disputes between moderates and hardliners. These struggles have largely been settled by external drivers – intra-Palestinian competition, Israeli violence and repression, or shifts in the regional power balance.Erik Skare is a historian at the University of Oslo and the author of the award-winning A History of Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Faith, Awareness, and Revolution in the Middle East. He specializes on Palestinian history with a particular focus on religion and secular politics. Skare has published extensively on Palestinian Islamism and resistance, and his work has been cited in The Washington Post, Le Monde Diplomatique, and other international news outlets."This is a meticulously detailed account of Palestinian Islamism as a political phenomenon. The author addresses the formation of a number of groups under the Islamist umbrella - including Palestine Islamic Jihad and Hamas - and the interactions between them, using primary sources and an original dataset. Importantly, the author approaches the subject matter with the basic assumption that Palestinians are humans. An invaluable resource for all those concerned about Palestine."Dana El Kurd, author of Polarized and Demobilized: Legacies of Authoritarianism in Palestine"This timely, important, impressively researched, and cogently argued study provides vital historical and political context for understanding the origins of the transformative crisis that erupted from the Gaza Strip in October 2023. Erik Skare has dedicated many years to the study of these issues, and this is amply demonstrated in his Road to 7 October."Mouin Rabbani, Co-Editor of Jadaliyya

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

2025-05-12