Special Focus

Special Focus: Jerusalem Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital this past Wednesday has caused a fury of opposition around the world. As protests of his decision continue, this month’s Special Focus offers eight Journal of Palestine Studies articles* that, together, shed light on the status of Jerusalem and on the likely consequences of Trump’s decision. In Walid Khalidi’s “The Ownership of the U.S. Embassy Site in Jerusalem,” the doyen of Palestinian historians investigates the history of the “Allenby Barracks” site that Israel has proposed as a

Remembering Mahmoud Darwish It is difficult to overstate the legacy of Mahmoud Darwish, Palestine’s iconic poet, whose passing on 9 August 2008 has left behind a literary treasure. His was a voice that touched every Palestinian, and with it, Darwish delivered the Palestinian experience to a global audience. His poems have been translated into more than 20 languages, and continue to ring true for many Palestinians who long to return home. Indeed, exile was the central thread of Darwish’s poetic journey. And, while exile is often regarded as a political reality,

June marks the anniversary of the 1967 War. While the Nakba – or “catastrophe” – of the 1948 War, with the expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians from their homeland, stands as the defining moment of modern Palestinian history, the 1967 War was yet another key turning point that would prefigure the subsequent decades of conflict and negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. In six days of war, Israel routed Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian forces and bestrode the region as the unparalleled power, stamping its flag over the rest of historic Palestine (East

Special Focus: Palestine, Congress, and the White House President Donald Trump is preparing for his first official meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 15, 2017. After months of speculation, the upcoming meeting promises to be revealing as political leaders, analysts, and commentators attempt to discern the new administration’s position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Will Trump adopt a radically different approach than his predecessors–one even more biased in favor of Israel? During his campaign, President Trump vociferously

It's Christmas in Palestine The tradition of Christmas in Palestine is a deeply rooted one. Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ at the Church of Nativity, has always been an integral part of Palestinian identity and heritage, and is home to some of the earliest Christian communities on earth. Palestinian Christians have harmoniously stood together with their Muslim fellow citizens on the frontlines of preserving culture and safeguarding religious holy sites in the face of the challenges to Palestinian identity. Examples of this unity abound, whether it is

The Second Intifada, Then and Now The end of September marked 16 years since the outbreak of the Second Intifada, also known as al-Aqsa Intifada. The uprising was triggered by the visit to Haram al-Sharif of former Israeli cabinet minister and Likud leader Ariel Sharon, in an attempt to mobilize his political base. Contravening the long-standing status quo arrangements at the sanctuary, the gesture was a widely held to be a deep provocation to the Palestinians. Escorted by hundreds of Israeli riot police, including a helicopter, on Thursday 28 September 2000,

Zionist Settler Colonialism When in the late nineteenth century Zionism arose as a political force calling for the colonization of Palestine and the “gathering of all Jews,” little attention was paid to the fact that Palestine was already populated. Indeed, the Basel Program adopted at the First Zionist Congress, which launched political Zionism in 1897, made no mention of a Palestinian native population when it spelled out the movement's objective: "the establishment of a publicly and legally secured home in Palestine for the Jewish people.” Moreover, in the

Palestinian students at British universities celebrating the wedding of one of their members, Izz aI-Din al-Shawwa, London, 1928. Seated left to right, first row, are Khulusi al-Khairi from Ramleh (Public Administration, London School of Economics); unidentified woman; Izz aI-Din al-Shawwa from Gaza (Agriculture, Cambridge University); the bride; Wasfi Anabtawi from Nablus (Geography, Cambridge University); Mrs. W. Anabtawi. Second row: Wasif Kamal from Nablus (Law, London University); Muhammad Hadid and Taha Abd al-Baqi (both Iraqi colleagues); Anis al-Bibi from

Zionist Ideology and Propaganda The following introduction originally appeared as an essay on our blog Palestine Square , and is being reposted here in slightly amended form. * * * Zionism’s material and cultural conquest is a manifestation of the axiom long voiced by its partisans: the Arabs may have rights on the land but only Jews have rights to the land. Every movement needs its propaganda and Zionism has been the colonial master of marketing. Certainly the French in Algeria and the British in India never came close to crafting the agitprop that early

Arab Jerusalem The following remarks were presented by the Institute for Palestine Studies’ General Secretary Walid Khalidi at Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies’ symposium on “Arab Jerusalem.” Khalidi’s description of Israeli exclusivist ambitions over Jerusalem were remarkably prescient and his words are even timelier today. Below is an abridged version of the presentation and the full remarks may be read here . . . . Today, the basic concept that seems to inform all discussion on Jerusalem is that of the “unity of Jerusalem.” In

Palestinian Citizens of Israel There’s an old folktale told by Palestinians. In 1948, during the shock and panic of the war, a Palestinian mother grabs a pillow thinking it’s her child. She flees and has not yet returned. The child is left behind and stays on the land. “We are the child,” Palestinians from the Galilee, Haifa, Acre, Jaffa, Lydda, the Negev, Nazareth, and Umm al-Fahm, and on and on, proclaim. For the Palestinians of Israel, the 1947-49 war – the Nakba (Catastrophe) – transformed the community from a national majority into a marginalized minority

Israel and the U.S. Congress The present battle by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to scuttle the 14 July Iran nuclear agreement may prove to mark a pivotal moment in the history of the organization and its status as vanguard of the so-called “Israel lobby.” AIPAC is fully mobilized against the American president, and its success or defeat may very well determine its future clout on Capitol Hill. The organization has reportedly poured over $20 million into television advertising [1] against the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Acton and dedicated

Southern Lebanon, An Arena of Contestation “Pity the Nation,” British journalist Robert Fisk titled his account of the 1975-1990 Lebanese Civil War. Colleague and fellow Englishman David Hirst chose “Beware of Small States” for his own survey of the nation he defined as the “battlefield of the Middle East.” The unfamiliar reader glancing at such titles may reasonably surmise that the nation’s contemporary history has been dominated by conflict and devastation. Even though the Lebanese Civil War officially ended more than two decades ago, the small nation,

The Nakba - In The Words of Palestinians There are so many ways to write about the Nakba – the Palestinian Catastrophe of 1948. One could start with Plan Dalet, the Yishuv’s (Jewish community in Palestine) master plan to expel Palestinian Arabs from within and outside the territory allotted to the Jewish state in the United Nation’s 1947 Partition Plan and its realization in the expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians from their homes by Zionist paramilitaries. [1] The massacre at Deir Yassin where the Revisionist Zionist Irgun and Lehi forces killed 107 Palestinian

Settler Violence in Palestine Perhaps nothing better symbolizes the Palestinian commitment to hold fast to the land than the olive tree. Its ancient roots and strong foundation a metaphor for the Palestinians’ unbroken presence and resilience. And for Israeli settlers guided by the fervent belief that Palestinians are squatters on land ordained by God for the Jewish people, the olive tree is a prime target. [1] According to a report on settler violence by The Palestine Center, “the period of the olive harvest annually brings a peak in violent settler activity.” [

The Arab-Israeli Conflict's Effect on Academia In June 1990, after much institutional delay, 150 faculty members of the University of Idaho, including the new president, signed a resolution calling on Israel to reopen Palestinian universities shut down during the Intifada . The resolution “expresses the faculty members’ deep concern on the issues of academic freedom, civil liberties, and access to educational opportunities for the Palestinian people residing in Israeli-occupied territories.” Declaring education to be a “basic human right,” the resolution may have

Operation Cast Lead Gaza is on the verge of becoming the first territory to be intentionally reduced to a state of abject destitution, with the knowledge, acquiescence, and - some would say - encouragement of the international community. -UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen AbuZayd January 2009 This is Israel's finest hour. It was a time of trial in which our society showed itself to be ready and willing, with the ability to cope and draw on the enormous strength within it. Israeli society rose impressively to the occasion, and emerges from this trial strengthened