Some links to learning about Palestinian and Arab culture, as well as some of the best Arabic food blogs and cookbooks out there:
Cookbooks (proudly dominated by the ladies):
Reem Kassis’ elegant, classic Palestinian recipes.
Palestinian-American restauranteur and chef Rawia Bishara’s cookbook
Lebanese chef Maureen Abood’s fabulous site
Laila El-Haddad’s Gazan cuisine
Understanding history