Many people helped me while I wrote this book, but I’ll thank only those to whom I am most indebted. Professor Anthony King read, commented, steered, suggested, and guided me with extraordinary kindness and unwearying attention to detail, turning me from caution to confidence—no small task—and I am enormously grateful. Julita Arsenio looked after my children and gave me the time and space to write; without Julita there would have been no book.
Boris Johnson and Stuart Reid repeatedly published me in the Spectator in not the easiest of circumstances for them. Phil Reeves of the Independent and Nicole Gauoette and Cameron Barr of the Christian Science Monitor kindly helped me to get started in their respective papers, while Marie Colvin suggested a long article for Vogue. Patrick Bishop of the Daily Telegraph, Xan Smiley of the Economist, and Mandy Cunningham of the BBC were also key in this process. At Bloomsbury, Victoria Millar and Rosemary Davidson were gentle and supportive editors at every step. Asif Khan, Omar Dajani, my father-in-law Ian Gilmour, brother-in-law David Gilmour, Kim Keating, and Michael Keating all read the text and gave excellent suggestions. Nihad Rafeh was inspirational.
David Shearer was very helpful with the production of maps and with advice. The staff of the office he heads, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, was also unfailingly helpful. Nahum Barnea of Yediot Ahronoth, Jeff Halper of the Israeli Campaign against House Demolition, Daniel de Wolff, Raffaella Iodice, Peter Bartu, Andrew Kuhn, Jesse Norman, Shoshana Halper, Bassem Khaldi, and Dominique Roch all gave me generous support and help whenever I asked. Laura Wick and the Institute of Community and Public Health, Birzeit University, were wonderful partners and coworkers.
David Godwin suggested the book and nurtured me through a long process with endless patience and good humor. Before I left New York in 2000, Nina Train Choa gave me a laptop, and this allowed me to begin writing down all the details that found their way into this book.
I owe Andrew above all others and for everything, and our four children, who generously remained happy, healthy, and understanding while all this was happening.