West Bank

The article “Problematizing a Palestinian Diaspora” by Juliet Peteet, outlines the origins and development of the Palestinian Diaspora during the post-colonial period in the Middle East as one of the most unresolved and controversial conflicts in human history. The year 1948 marks the beginning of the Palestinian al-ghurba (exile) as well as the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel. The founding of the new state is often described as Al-Nakba, meaning “the catastrophe or disaster”,…

Have you ever been somewhere that completely takes your breath away and changes your perspective on things, and life in general? This past summer I went on an astonishing journey with my best friend. It was an experience I will never forget. Adding to this, traveling to Israel is not as simple as it may seem. Numerous obstacles are involved, but overcoming them is worth it. The sites were monumental and the people were gracious and welcoming. Trying and enjoying new foods was a perk of my…

“The Problem is Palestinian Rejectionism,” by Yosef Kuperwasser and Shalom Lipner and “Israel’s Bunker Mentality,” by Ronald Krebs attempt to dissect and solve one of the most complex geopolitical conflicts in recent human history, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yosef Kuperwasser and Shalom Lipner discuss that the one thing that’s stopping this conflict from being resolved is Palestinian reluctance to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. On the other hand, Ronald Krebs argues that it’s in…

“Apartheid is not Normal” “Normalize This” is a free form, spoken word poem from Remi Kanazi. Kanazi is a Palestinian-American born to Palestinian immigrants. Kanazi’s grandmother was pregnant with his mother when she left Palestine in 1947. Around this time there was a great exodus or “nukba” of indigenous Palestinians, just as the land was being annexed to create the new state of Israel. Kanazi’s father left Haifa after the occupation had already taken place. Born in New York City in 1981,…

Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) Author Institution Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) FTOs (Foreign Terrorist Organizations) are foreign groups that the Secretary of State designates “in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)” (“Chapter 6…,” 2012). The designation of FTOs is crucial to fighting terrorism and helps to curtail support for terror activities. Accordingly, section 219…

When people hear about the Arab-Israeli conflict, they start thinking about how did it start? During the late 19th century, Jews came back from Europe to Palestine where they previously existed. The Jewish people indicated that they were met with violent opposition from the Arabs especially the Palestinians. The same story is claimed to be still happening till today. The claimed story that was just told is not true. What actually happened is that there was a Zionist movement from Europe after…

In "The Nakba: The Palestinian Catastrophe of 1948," by Lost Islamic History, Palestinians consider the formation of Israel a catastrophe because it was built on the land owned by Palestinians. Also because Israel and Palestinians had different ideologies, it was harder for them to tolerate each other especially since they were so close. Another reason is because Israel organized groups to forcefully take the homes and belongings of Palestinians, leaving them miserable and homeless. Around the…

Lior Bar-El Sinai Scholars Essay 4/10/16 The First Roman Jewish War The First Roman Jewish war was a conflict with great ramifications. It resulted in the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and started the transformation from a Judaism centered on temple sacrifices to a Judaism dominated by Rabbis and the interpretations of scripture. Militarily, this conflict was important as it saw diverse militaries fighting with contrasting tactics. The Jewish rebels fought with irregular tactics…

According to German film theorist Siegfried Kracauer “films are the mirror of the prevailing society.” Through films viewers can understand the culture and sentiments of the people during the time of the film’s creation. Film directors study popular trends in their society and have those trends reflected back in their films to gain viewers and economic profit by providing something the audience can relate to. The preservation and study of films allow for the observation of the political…

After the first world war, the British empire began to collapse, as a result they decided to bequeath parts of their land as they could no longer afford to keep it. According to John Green’s crash course video on Palestine and Israel, in 1917 the Britishers created the Balfour Declaration, promising that they would give the Jews a homeland. They needed support from the Jews as their empire was collapsing, and the Jews needed a homeland as they had recently been persecuted from Europe subsequent…