During the turbulent period following the First World War, the Dutch and queer Jewish poet, writer and journalist Jacob Israël de Haan (Smilde 1881-Jerusalem 1924) worked in Mandate Palestine as a correspondent for the Algemeen Handelsblad and later British media like The Times and Daily Mail. However, his stay in Jerusalem and his broader views on politics, culture and religion, including on Zionism and Arab Palestinian nationalism, remain largely unknown.

In 1919, De Haan went to Palestine, where exactly one hundred years ago, in June 1924, he was murdered because of his sharp criticism on political Zionism. This book contextualizes the Palestine years within the biography of a man who durably impacted the links between the Netherlands and Palestine and who is said to be, for some, a Dutch Lawrence of Arabia.