All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948

All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948

By Walid Khalidi

All That Remains is a landmark reference work documenting the history and fate of more than 400 Palestinian villages destroyed or depopulated during the 1948 war.

The culmination of nearly six years of research involving more than thirty contributors, this extensively researched volume goes beyond earlier accounts through detailed field research conducted with former Palestinian residents and local guides. The research helped establish the precise locations of village sites and preserve historical information about communities that were displaced and, in many cases, physically erased.

At the heart of the book are detailed entries devoted to the individual villages. Each entry combines statistical information with historical and descriptive accounts, documenting the village as it existed before 1948, the events surrounding its conquest and depopulation, and the subsequent condition of the site.

The pre-1948 sections draw on a wide range of Arab and Western historical sources to explore each village's history, geography, architecture, institutions, agriculture, and economic life. Accounts of the 1948 military operations draw on both Israeli and Arab sources, while the final sections document the post-1948 status of the village sites, including Israeli settlements established on confiscated village lands.

The book is richly supplemented with hundreds of historical photographs, detailed maps, and five appendices, making it an important resource for researchers, students, historians, and anyone seeking to understand Palestinian history and the events surrounding the Nakba.

More than a historical reference, All That Remains serves as an extensive record of Palestinian villages, communities, landscapes, and lives that existed before 1948.

About the Author

Walid Khalidi (1925–2026) was a renowned Palestinian historian and scholar and a co-founder of the Institute for Palestine Studies. Born in Jerusalem, Khalidi dedicated much of his career to documenting Palestinian history, particularly the history of Palestinian communities affected by the events of 1948.

His extensive scholarship helped preserve historical records of Palestinian villages, towns, communities, and cultural life. All That Remains remains one of his most significant contributions to the documentation of Palestinian history and the Palestinian Nakba.

Why Read All That Remains?

• Documents 400+ Palestinian villages affected by the 1948 war

• Includes historical research based on Arab, Western, Israeli, and Palestinian sources

• Records village history, geography, architecture, institutions, and economic life

• Includes accounts of the military operations leading to the conquest of villages

• Documents the post-1948 status of village sites

• Features hundreds of photographs and informative maps

• Includes five valuable appendices

• An important reference for Palestinian history, heritage, genealogy, geography, and the Nakba

A powerful addition to any library dedicated to Palestine, history, cultural heritage, and historical research.