Palestine and the Palestinians

by Farsoun, Samih K.; Zacharia, Christina E.

• ISBN13: 9780813303406
• ISBN10: 0813303400
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-07-01
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

Following the historic Oslo Accords between the PLO and Israel, the future status of the Palestinian population living under Israeli occupation since 1967 has taken center stage. Effectively negotiated out of the agreement is the right of return or of compensation for almost four million Palestinians in exile. This book argues that because these Accords formally sever the Palestinians' historical claims from the present, it is crucial to understand the larger historical and ideological context in which the claims arose.In this broad and richly textured analysis, the authors examine the social, economic, and political development of the people of Palestine from antiquity to the present. The book opens with an overview of Palestine's place in regional and global history. Subsequent chapters discuss Palestinian society before and after the catastrophic division of Palestine in 1948 and explore the forces and constraints affecting the formation of Palestinian national identity, as embodied in popular institutions, the PLO, and resistance movements. The final chapter considers the prospects for Palestinian self-determination and statehood despite the limitations imposed by the Oslo Accords, as well as Palestine's future viability.

Author Biography

Samih K. Farsoun is chair of the Department of Sociology at American University and is a member of the executive committee of the Center for Policy Analysis of Palestine. Christina E. Zacharia is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology at American University. Christina E. Zacharia is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology at American University. Samih K. Farsoun is chair of the Department of Sociology at American University and is a member of the executive committee of the Center for Policy Analysis of Palestine. Christina E. Zacharia is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology at American University.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Illustrations	ix	(2)
List of Appendixes	xi	(2)
Preface and Acknowledgments	xiii	(4)
List of Acronyms	xvii
1 The Question of Palestine and the Palestinians	1	(20)
2 Before al-Nakbah: The Modern Social History of Palestine	21	(45)
3 The Road to al-Nakbah: The Palestine Mandate, 1917-1948	66	(57)
4 After al-Nakbah: The Palestinian Diaspora, 1948-1993	123	(48)
5 The Rise and Fall of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, 1948-1993	171	(42)
6 Palestinian Resistance to Israeli Occupation: The Intifada	213	(40)
7 The PLO-Isreal Accords and the Future of Palestine and the Palestinians	253	(44)
8 Epilogue: Whither Palestine and the Palestinians?	297	(22)
Appendixes	319	(24)
Glossary	343	(5)
Selected Bibliography	348	(14)
About the Book and Authors	362	(1)
Index	363