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Palestine/Israel: A Primer: About

Abstract

This is not a comprehensive history of Palestine/Israel. This is a primer on the pertinent historical context for understanding the current conflict. Information is structured using guiding questions that often do not have a concrete answer. Instead, different perspectives are presented, as long as they are grounded in identifiable fact. As you approach this topic, I encourage you to retain curiosity, humility, and respect.

Guiding Questions

This guide is structured using open-ended questions, with an activity at the end using AI.

  • Who is indigenous to the land?  
  • What were the demographics of Ottoman Palestine?
  • How did populations coexist in Ottoman Palestine?
  • How culpable is Britain?
  • What bearing does antisemitism have on Palestine/Israel?
  • Was 1948 a Nakba or an Independence Day?
  • Who is the aggressor? Who is the arbiter of what constitutes a reasonable compromise?
  • How legitimate is Hamas?
  • How does the issue of settlements weigh on an imagined future peace?
  • Activity
  • Works Cited and Suggested Readings
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