Education VV

Palestinian nationalism When a united Arab nation seemed impossible to realize, more and more Arab nationalists in Palestine began working for an independent Palestinian state instead. It did not necessarily mean a purely Arab or purely Muslim state. Jewish minorities have long existed in the Arab world, and Christian Arabs made up at least one-fifth of the population of Palestine at that time. The Arabs were politically divided, and they had different views on the Jewish immigrants who already existed in Palestine. In…

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At the end of the 19th century, Jews from Europe began to immigrate to Palestine to create their own country. As immigration increased in the early 20th century, conflicts arose with the Arabs living in the area and the Arabs began working to establish an independent Palestinian state. When the UN after World War II proposed that Palestine be divided into a Jewish and an Arab part, the Arabs said no. The Jews then proclaimed the state of Israel, which was immediately attacked…

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Palestinian division Divorce on the Palestinian side contributes to all failed peace attempts. Under Palestinian law, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) is to negotiate with Israel. Islamist Hamas has not cared about what the PLO agrees with Israel. Hamas has not recognized Israel’s right to exist and does not officially negotiate Israel and Hamas with each other. Between Hamas and Fatah, the dominant movement in the PLO, an acute conflict erupted after the Palestinian elections in 2006 that Hamas won. When the parties could…

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The fate of the refugees The Palestinian refugees and their descendants are today over five million, according to the UN. In Gaza, almost four-fifths are refugees from Israel, compared to just under a third of Palestinians in the West Bank. Outside the West Bank and Gaza, the largest refugee groups are in Jordan (almost two million) and in Lebanon. Israel refuses to recognize that refugees have the right to return, but for Palestinian leaders, the right to return is a very important…

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Israel entered a new phase in 1977, with the right-wing bloc Likud’s election victory. Until then, all governments had been led by the Labor Party, which had admittedly allowed Jewish settlements on occupied land but had not encouraged the expansion as Likud did. Likud’s policies resulted in large settlements for Israelis in the West Bank, where Palestinian frustration grew at the same rate as fears of occupying power diminished. In the autumn of 1987, stone-throwing youths began an uprising, the Intifada. The Israelis…

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The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians may seem simple at first: two peoples are competing for the same land. But during all the years that the conflict has been unresolved, more and more complications have arisen. The conflict concerns today’s Israel as well as the West Bank and Gaza, which Israel occupied during the Six-Day War in 1967. Prior to World War II, these areas were part of the so-called Palestine Mandate, administered by Britain on behalf of its predecessor, the…

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