Suchergebnisse

In this article I argue that the Israeli War against Gaza of December 2008–January 2009 marked a historical crossroad in the annals of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The article examines four arguments: first, the war as a test for the Israeli post-Oslo strategy: Israel believed that the Palestinian Bantustans should behave as 'protectorate regimes', otherwise they would be under massive Israeli attack. Second, the war as the second 'open confrontation' that was a result of Israel's loss of its historical military deterrence. Third, some of the Arab states, including the 'protectorate regime' in Ramallah are part of the Israeli (and American) alliance against what is considered as the 'rejectionist regimes'. Forth, the war in Gaza is the formal beginning of the end of the PLO as the 'sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people'.

This article attempts to understand the internal situation of the Palestinians and their national movement at the start of the twenty-first century. I hereby attempt to trace and analyze concrete aspects of the state of the Palestinian national movement in the post-Oslo era. What happened during the past decade to the Palestinians in general, and to their national movement in particular, led to the internal and external failure. Externally, this failure was manifested in the disintegration of the regional and international status of the Palestinian national movement. Concomitantly, the efforts to establish a Palestinian state and resolve the conflict reached a dead end because of the deep internal schism which had developed, and which is incompatible with national unity.

This article deals with the question of binationality in the Israeli Jewish–Palestinian framework in Israel/Palestine. The first part presents the relevant theoretical background, and the second sets forth the guidelines which lead one to think that the binational concept in Israel/Palestine is the only possible solution. The third part discusses the historical roots for the progress of the idea in Jewish and Palestinian thought. The fourth enumerates the forces preventing a separation between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip, leading to the need to consider a solution based on establishing a common political framework. The fifth part evaluates the support for and the opposition to this idea and its prospects of being accepted among the Israeli and Palestinian publics. The final part presents general guidelines for a binational settlement between Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs in the joint state of Israel–Palestine.

The Palestinian minority in Israel has produced a demand for personal & group equality, specifically, a change in the ethnic, Jewish-Zionist character of the state that would give Palestinians a collective status similar to that enjoyed by the Jews. The minority's demands are extremely revolutionary in light of the ethnic character of the state & the fact that the Jewish majority supports a continuation of this character, generally giving priority to continued discrimination against the minority. The combination of the state & the majority support for the current minority policy suggests that the Palestinians will encounter a challenge of institutional & public opposition to their demands. This pushes the minority into deeper existential distress. The appearance of clear signs of a deterioration in the minority's status is leading to a multidimensional crisis confronting the state, majority, & minority with hard decisions concerning the nature of the partnership that can satisfy the demands of the majority & aspirations of the minority. 2 Tables. Adapted from the source document.

While the international community and regional powers in the Middle East are focussing on finding a solution to Israel's 'external problem' - the future of the occupied West Bank and Gaza strip - another political conflict is emerging on the domestic Israel scene: the question of the future status of Israel's Palestinian minority within the 1967 borders. The Palestinian minority in Israel are currently experiencing a new trend in their political development. Here, Ghanem and Mustafa term that development 'The Politics of Faith', referring to the demographic, religious and social transformations among the Palestinian minority that have facilitated and strengthened their self-confidence. Such heightened self-confidence is also the basis for key changes in their cultural and social life, as well as political activity. This book traces the emergence of a new and diverse generation of political leadership, how Palestinian society has developed and empowered itself within Israel, and the politicization of Islamic activism in Israel.