Style sheet on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict

Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Paramilitary group loyal to Yasir Arafat’s
Fatah organization; founded after the eruption of the second intifada
on Sept. 28, 2000, the day Ariel Sharon, then Israel’s right-wing
opposition leader, went to Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque to press his
claim of Israeli sovereignty over Islam’s third holiest site. See:
Fatah.
Al Haram al Sherif. English: the Noble Sanctuary. Arabic name for
the plaza in Jerusalem where the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque are
located. Muslims revere the site as the area where Prophet Muhammad broke
his miraculous night journey from Mecca to heaven. Jews revere the area
as the location of the First and Second Temples, and refer to the area
above and to the east of the Western Wall as Har Ha Moriyya or Har Ha
Bayt in Hebrew and as the Temple Mount in English. Some Jewish radicals
advocate the construction of a third Temple there. Use Hebrew and Arabic
equivalents or use two English equivalents. See: Western Wall; Temple
Mount Faithful.
Aliyah. Hebrew meaning ‘going up.’ Refers to the immigration
of Jews to Israel. Since 1948, about 2,900,000 Jews have immigrated to
Israel. [ www.aliyah.org] See: Law
of Return.
Al-Jazeera (or Al-Jazira) Satellite Channel. Founded in Qatar in
1996, JSC is the only 24-hour station in the Arab world dedicated to news,
news analyses, talk shows, and documentaries; as such it has replaced
CNN as the major source of news on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Its
impact on the Arab world is significant. By beaming scenes of Israel’s
occupation hourly into Arab homes and schools, it has made its viewers
real-time participants in these events, much as CNN made Americans real-time
participants in the events of September 11, 2001.
Allah. Arabic for God. Not exclusively the God of Muslims, since
Arabic-speaking Christians use the same term. See: God.
Annexation, Annexed Territories. Following the 1967 war, Israel
annexed East Jerusalem and a portion of the West Bank, extending the borders
of Jerusalem by some 55 square miles. In 1981, Israel annexed Syria’s
Golan Heights. Both these annexations are considered illegal under United
Nations resolutions. The United States regards the annexed territories
as areas to be dealt with in final peace negotiations. Settlements for
Jewish residents have been and are being constructed in the annexed areas
and in other parts of the West Bank and Gaza. [ www.arij.org]
See: East Jerusalem; Golan Heights; Green Line; Occupied Territories;
U.N. Resolutions.
Anti-Semitism. Discrimination against, or persecution of, Semitic
people. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term was first
used with specific reference to Jews in the 1880s, although for hundreds
of years and in many countries Jews and Arabs, who are also Semites, have
been denied full rights as citizens and have suffered economic discrimination,
social ostracism, and persecution. Historically, anti-Semitism toward
Jews has been especially harsh in predominantly Christian nations in Europe,
culminating in pogroms, the Inquisition, and the Holocaust. Generally
used to describe negative attitudes toward Jews. See: Semitic Peoples.
Arab, Arabic, Arabians. An Arab is a person whose native tongue
is Arabic, generally one who comes from the Middle East or North Africa.
Arabs are not a religious group but a linguistic and cultural group of
Semitic origin. Arabic is the language used throughout the region and
also liturgically by Muslims worldwide. Arabians are people who live in,
or have migrated from, the Arabian Peninsula. [ www.albab/com/arab/countries/palestine]
See: Israeli Arabs.
Arab League. Confederation of Arab states founded in 1945. Membership
comprises 22 Arab states and includes Palestine, which was admitted as
a full member in 1976. The League, now headquartered in Cairo, Egypt,
has observer status at the United Nations. Its summit meetings are seen
as indicators of the level of Arab unity.
Areas A, B, C. The 1995 Oslo II Agreement divided the Palestinian
territories, excluding East Jerusalem, into three zones: Area A, comprising
disconnected districts, includes 17.2 percent of the West Bank and Gaza
Strip and is under the full security and civil control of the Palestinian
Authority. Area B, 23.8 percent, is under Israeli security control, while
the Palestinian Authority is responsible for some social and civil services.
Area C, approximately 59 percent, is under full Israeli occupation. The
three areas were theoretically a first step in Israel’s withdrawal
from the West Bank, as required under U.N. Resolutions 242 and 338. Further
significant withdrawals, to be completed by May 1999, never took place.
See Occupied Territories; Autonomous Areas; U.N. Resolutions.
Ashkenazi (plural, Ashkenazim). Jews in Israel are officially divided
into Ashkenazim (from Germany, and by extension, Europe) and Sephardim
(from Spain, and by extension, the Middle East and North Africa). Since
most Jews of European ancestry are Ashkenazim, the term denotes both sectarian
affiliation and geographic origin. Israeli Jews from the Middle East and
North Africa, however, are described as Sephardim in sectarian terms,
and Mizrachim (Orientals) geographically. In the early years, the Zionist
movement was almost wholly Ashkenazi. Of the 717,000 Jews in Israel in
1948, Ashkenazim numbered 80 percent; and of the 37 Jewish leaders on
stage when David Ben-Gurion declared the state of Israel in 1948, one
was from Palestine, one from Yemen, and 35 from Europe and Russia. By
the mid-1960s, Mizrachim surpassed the Ashkenazim, due to immigration
and a higher birth rate. Today, due to Russian immigration, their numbers
are about equal. See: Jews, Judaism; Zionism.
Autonomous Areas. As a result of Oslo I in 1993, Oslo II in 1995,
and the 1997 Hebron Agreement, seven Palestinian cities in the West Bank,
60 percent of Gaza, and 80 percent of Hebron are considered autonomous
areas under full Palestinian jurisdiction. Other parts of the West Bank
and Gaza (Areas B and C) are under joint or exclusively Israeli jurisdiction.
See: Areas A,B,C.
Borders. Israel has never officially fixed its territorial borders.
When David Ben-Gurion announced the creation of the state of Israel on
14 May 1948, he refused to define its borders, saying, ‘We are announcing
the creation of a state in the Western part of our country.’ And
in his diaries (‘Rebirth and Destiny of Israel’) he wrote ‘...we
have to set up a dynamic state bent upon expansion’ in order to accommodate
the ingathering of Jews from around the world. Within Israel today the
question of borders is controversial since some Israeli Jews refer to
the West Bank as Judea and Samaria and as part of Greater or Eretz Israel.
Israeli peace groups, such as Gush Shalom, call for the pre-1967 borders,
or green line, to be accepted as the ‘border of peace.’ Agreements
at Taba, Egypt, in January 2001 (later repudiated by Israel) acknowledged
the 1967 borders as the basis for lasting peace. [ www.Gush-Shalom.org]
See: Aliyah; Green Line; Peace Organizations; U.N. Resolutions; Zionism.
Bypass Roads. Paved highways built by Israel on confiscated Palestinian
land within the West Bank and Gaza to facilitate travel for Jewish settlers
to Jerusalem, other Israeli cities, and other settlements. Between 1977
and 1999 Israel built 750 miles of these roads, often dividing Palestinian
communities and making it impossible for some farmers to reach their fields.
Bypass roads also extend Israel’s de facto borders beyond the green
line and around an expanded Jerusalem [ www.palestinemonitor.org/factsheet/factsheet.html].
Checkpoint. A barrier built by the Israeli Defense Forces or Border
Police to limit the movement of Palestinians who lack necessary permits.
Normally, Israeli citizens and foreigners move through the checkpoints
without being stopped. Palestinians with permits frequently experience
extreme delays and humiliation at these barriers. On occasions, deaths
have occurred at checkpoints when individuals, including pregnant women
in labor, have been unable to reach hospitals. Often farm produce, especially
from Gaza, has spoiled at checkpoints due to delays of up to several days.
See: Closure; IDF.
Christian Zionism. For more than a century, some evangelical Christians
have supported the development of a Jewish commonwealth in the belief
that the Messiah will return when Jews are restored to the land of Israel.
Various leaders in Israel have courted evangelical leaders in the U.S.,
including the Rev. Jerry Falwell and the Rev. Pat Robertson who, like
Hal Lindsey, anticipate the last great battle, Armageddon. These Israeli
leaders generally ignore the Christian Zionists’ theological position
that in the end days all Jews will be killed, save for 144,000 who accept
Christ. An exception to this evangelical Christian support for the state
of Israel has come from the U.S.-based Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding.
[ www.icej.org; www.emeu.org]
See: Embassy, Christian Embassy.
Christianity. The religion practiced by Christians, the followers
of Jesus who was born and lived as a Jew in what is now Israel and the
West Bank. According to biblical tradition, Jesus also visited parts of
what are now Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. [ www.cicts.org]
For the branches of Christianity, see: Christians.
Christians (Middle East Christians). The Christian community in Israel
and Palestine, and throughout the Middle East, includes four families
of churches: the Eastern Orthodox, within which the Greek Orthodox Church
is the largest and most prominent; the Oriental Orthodox, which includes
the Coptic Orthodox Church and Armenian Apostolic Church among others;
the Catholic family in which the Latin Catholic, Greek Catholic (Melkite)
and Maronite Churches are the most prominent; and the Evangelical (Protestant)
family that includes Anglicans, Lutherans and numerous smaller groups.
Churches of all four of these families participate as members of the Middle
East Council of Churches and accept both the Old and New Testaments. Membership
of all these churches has declined during the last half century due to
emigration from the region. Members of Christian congregations in the
Holy Land are sometimes called the ‘Living Stones’ as a reminder
that the churches in the area are more than museums; they are the centers
of dynamic and living communities of faith that trace their history to
Pentecost. Since 1948, the Palestinian Christian community has dropped
from approximately 18 percent to 1.9 percent. [ www.Al-bushra.org;
www.mecchurches.org; www.Sabeel.org;
www.bethlehem-mediacenter.org]
Citizenship, Nationality. An important distinction should be made
between citizenship and nationality in Israel. While Israeli Jews and
non-Jews (most being Palestinian Arabs) are citizens with the right to
vote, Israel distinguishes between citizens who are Jewish nationals and
those who are not. In 1952, Israel enacted the Citizenship/Jewish Nationality
Law, granting all Jews in the world, and only Jews, the status both of
Israeli citizenship and Jewish nationality, meaning that, as soon as they
arrive in Israel, they are automatically eligible for significant rights
and benefits provided by the state or by its semi-governmental organizations—rights
and benefits denied to non-Jewish nationals, whose families may have lived
on the soil for generations. See: Aliyah.
Closed Military Zones. Areas in the occupied territories declared
by the Israel Defense Forces off-limits to unauthorized persons. These
zones need not be of military significance; at times, Israeli officials
abort peaceful demonstrations by temporarily designating a site a closed
military area. [ www.arij.org] See: IDF;
Occupied Territories.
Closure, Siege, Blockade. Terms used to describe official Israeli
efforts to control the movement of Palestinians. Closure was instituted
in March 1993 to deny Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank, except
those with permits, entry into Israel and Greater Jerusalem. More recently,
roadblocks have restricted movement between cities and towns within the
occupied territories; some Palestinian farmers are even unable to reach
their fields because of these ‘internal checkpoints.’ Students,
medical doctors, and patients often find it impossible to reach colleges,
universities, and hospitals. In August 2001, The New York Times reported
that Israel had established 97 ‘armed blockades’ in the West
Bank and 32 in the Gaza Strip. Palestinians refer to the effect of this
policy as a siege. Some news media use the term blockade. [ www.btselem.org]
See: Checkpoint; Collective Punishment.
Collective Punishment. Practice of punishing entire families, communities
or groups for the act of an individual. Collective punishment, as practiced
by Israel, takes the form of sealing or demolishing Palestinian homes,
imposing curfews, erecting roadblocks, confiscating personal property,
uprooting olive and other fruit trees (over 34,600 between Sept. 2000
and Feb. 2002), destroying water systems, and closing schools, colleges,
markets, roads, and other gathering places. Collective punishment is prohibited
by Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. See: Geneva Conventions.
Colonies. Term used by Palestinians and others for settlements
established by the Israeli government in the occupied territories. See:
Settlements.
Crusades. In 1095, Pope Urban II called on Christians of Europe
to invade the Middle East for a holy war against the ‘infidel Mohammedans.’
In 1099, a European expedition known as the First Crusade ‘liberated’
Jerusalem, massacring 40,000 of its citizens. This crusade was followed
by six others over the next 200 years. In 1187, the Muslim general Saladin
(also Salahudin or Salah-al-Din) retook Jerusalem without bloodshed. The
barbarity of the Western crusaders is a vivid memory for the peoples of
the Middle East, many of whom see the influx of European Jews into Palestine
in 1948 as yet another crusade.
Curfew. A decree confining people inside their homes. The Israel
Defense Forces have kept Palestinian cities and towns under curfews, some
for weeks at a time, resulting in serious food shortages and the denial
of urgent medical services. As a form of collective punishment, curfews
are contrary to the Geneva Conventions. [ www.phrmg.org]
See: Geneva Conventions.
De-development. Term first used by Sara M. Roy to describe the
negative economic impact of Israel’s occupation on Palestinian cities
and towns. From 1992 to 1996, for example, average unemployment in the
occupied territories increased from 3 to 28 percent, and per capita GNP
fell 37 percent. By the year 2002, poverty and unemployment in Gaza had
reached 50 percent.
Detention: Administrative and Juvenile. Administrative detention
is detention without charge or trial, authorized by administrative order
rather than by judicial decree. It is allowed by international law within
rigid limitations. B’Tselem, the Israeli human rights organization,
charges that Israel’s practice of administrative detention violates
these limitations. Contrary to article 49 of the Geneva Convention, e.g.,
Israel often holds Palestinians for prolonged periods of time without
trying them and without informing them of the suspicions against them.
Israeli military order 132 also allows for the arrest and detention of
Palestinian children from 14 to 17 years of age, who are confined with
adult prisoners and criminal convicts. This practice contravenes the Fourth
Geneva Convention and the U.N. Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived
of their Liberty. From Sept. 2000 to Feb. 2002, 1,000 Palestinians from
inside the green line have been detained, and 1,850 (including 600-plus
children) from Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip. B’Tselem
charges that 85 percent of detainees are tortured during interrogations.
[ www.btselem.org] See: Geneva Conventions.
Dimona. Site in the Negev Desert where Israel manufactures nuclear
weapons. In his book ‘The Samson Option: Israel’s Nuclear Arsenal
and American Foreign Policy,’ investigative reporter Seymour Hersh
writes: ‘By the mid-1980s, the technicians at Dimona had manufactured
hundreds of low-yield neutron warheads capable of destroying large numbers
of enemy troops with minimal property damage. The size and sophistication
of Israel’s arsenal allows men such as Ariel Sharon to dream of redrawing
the map of the Middle East aided by the implicit threat of nuclear force.’
Israel has refused to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons.
Disputed Territories, Administered Territories. Terms used by Israel
and sometimes the United States to soften or intentionally confuse the
status of areas occupied by Israel in 1967. Use ‘occupied territories.’
See: Geneva Conventions; Occupied Territories; Judea and Samaria.
Divided City, Undivided City. Refers to urban areas, especially
Hebron and Jerusalem, where Jews and Arabs live side-by-side. From 1948
to 1967 Jerusalem was divided. Jews could not reach places in East Jerusalem,
including the Jewish Quarter of the Old City and such holy places as the
Western Wall; Arabs could not reach areas in West Jerusalem, including
properties to which they held deeds and keys. Since 1967, Israel has referred
to Jerusalem as its ‘undivided and eternal capital,’ although
it provides disparate public services in the two parts of the city and
residents have little interaction. [ www.acj.org]
See: East Jerusalem; Jerusalem; Hebron.
Druze, Druse. Members of a secretive religious group which has
roots in Christianity and Islam. There are Druze in northern Israel who
are Israeli Arabs, as well as Druze in Syria and Lebanon. See: Israeli
Arabs.
East Jerusalem. Sometimes referred to as Arab East Jerusalem, this
area was captured by the Israelis in 1967. Under international law it
is considered part of the occupied territories. Although it is part of
the single Jerusalem municipality, it suffers from lack of public services
except for the Jewish Quarter of the Old City and the parts of East Jerusalem
where settlements have been constructed. East Jerusalem is the area where
most Muslim and Christian residents live and work. It includes the walled
Old City and the historic Mount of Olives. Most international N.G.O.s
are located in East Jerusalem. Palestinians expect that when their state
is formally established, its capital will be in East Jerusalem. [ www.passia.org/index_jerusalem]
See: Jerusalem.
Embassy, Consulates, Christian Embassy. Although Israel considers
Jerusalem its capital, most nations do not and maintain their embassies
in Tel Aviv. The United States maintains consulates in both West and East
Jerusalem. Although the U.S. Congress has pressed the State Department
to move the embassy to Jerusalem, every President since Ronald Reagan
has resisted specific requests. In 1989, the United States purchased a
7.7 acre site on the Hebron Road south of the Old City for the construction
of an embassy. Subsequently the site was discovered to lack a clear title,
the land having been confiscated from Palestinian owners including an
Islamic foundation (waqf). The so-called International Christian Embassy
in West Jerusalem, which is unrelated to any government, represents the
presence in Jerusalem of certain ideological Christians from abroad who
support the policies of the state of Israel. The Christian Embassy is
not recognized by the historic churches in the Holy Land, nor does Israel
accept the conservative theology of the Christian Embassy. [ www.icej.org]
See: Christian Zionism.
Fatah. The leading constituent group of the Palestine Liberation
Organization. Founded in 1959, it marks January 1965 as the beginning
of its armed struggle to free Palestine. In 1969, Fatah’s leader,
Yasir Arafat, was appointed chairman of the P.L.O.’s executive committee.
See: P.L.O.
Foreign Aid to Egypt. U.S. aid to Egypt averages $2.2 billion per
year over the past 21 years. The money is given as part of an agreement
that encouraged Egypt to sign and maintain a 1979 peace treaty with Israel.
Foreign Aid to Israel. U.S. aid to Israel takes the form of federal
loans and grants, plus tax-deductible donations from organizations and
individuals. Federal aid to Israel is unique in that: a) the total annual
grant is given at the start of each fiscal year, instead of quarterly,
allowing Israel to earn the interest; b) it is given with no strings attached,
unlike aid to other countries, which is given for designated purposes;
c) as of 1984, the U.S. gives Israel additional funds to pay whatever
debt it owes on its loans; d) annual U.S. aid to Israel is far greater
than that given to any other country. According to conservative U.S. government
figures, total U.S. aid to Israel since 1948 is around 90 billion dollars,
or approximately $15,000 per citizen. In addition, Germany over the years
has given Israel some $31 billion in grants and preferred loans.[ www.palestinemonitor.org-/factsheet]
See: Jewish National Fund.
Fundamentalist. Term used by religious scholars to designate a
segment of any religious community that has adopted a narrow focus on
their tradition. In recent decades, the term has become pejorative when
used to caricature the policies or practices of those who narrowly employ
the fundamentals of their faith to promote a radical political agenda.
Properly used, a fundamentalist is an orthodox traditionalist of a particular
faith group. When the term is misused, fundamentalist conveys a political
style often associated with violence; in this usage, a fundamentalist
is blamed for using sacred texts to justify his or her agenda. The term
is legitimate in academic discourse, but has become imprecise in wider
discourse. Extremist, radical, or fanatic are more accurate terms. See:
Terrorism.
Gaza, Gaza Strip. One of the most densely populated areas in the world,
the Gaza Strip is 25 miles long and five miles wide, lying along the southeastern
edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Intended as part of the Arab sector in
the 1947 U.N. partition plan, it was occupied and administered by Egypt
following the 1947-48 war. Gaza City, the principal urban community, makes
up one third of the Strip’s 1.02 million residents (1997 census),
most of whom are refugees. Israel occupied the Strip in 1967 and constructed
numerous settlements there for the exclusive use of Jews. With the exception
of those settlements and some closed military zones, the remaining 60
percent of Gaza was incorporated in the Palestinian Authority under the
Oslo Accords. Gaza is not contiguous with the West Bank and ‘safe
passage’ between Gaza, the West Bank and Jericho provided for in
Article XI of an agreement signed on May 4, 1994, is currently shut down.
See: Oslo; Settlements; West Bank.
‘Generous Offer’. Following the failure of the Camp David
meetings in July 2000, the Palestinian Authority’s President Yasir
Arafat has been criticized for refusing the ‘generous offer’
of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. The offer, never publicly displayed,
would have maintained 69 settlements in 10 percent of the West Bank, including
East Jerusalem. Israel would have retained full military control over
another 10 percent of the West Bank, specifically in the agriculturally
productive area along the Jordan River. Although described as ‘temporary
control,’ this 10 percent would remain under Israeli military and
civil authority for an indefinite period. All the borders of the West
Bank would remain under Israeli control, thus prohibiting freedom of movement
internationally. The settlement blocs would be connected by Israeli-controlled
roads, effectively dividing the West Bank into four isolated cantons,
similar to the Bantustans of South Africa. Because the settlements are
established on groundwater aquifers and near the sources of surface water,
Palestinians would not control the water supply necessary for a viable
state. In addition, Israel resisted the right of Palestinian refugees
to return to their homes within the green line. Israeli peace organizations,
including Gush Shalom, describe the offer as impossible and as a ‘fig
leaf.’ [ www.Gush-Shalom.org/]
See: Borders; Green Line; Law of Return; Settlements; West Bank.
Geneva Conventions, Fourth Geneva Convention. Four internationally
accepted conventions were approved in Geneva following World War II. The
Fourth Geneva Convention was adopted on August 12, 1949 with Israel as
one of the signatories. It protects individuals who live in a territory
occupied by another nation and makes the occupying power responsible for
the welfare of the population of any territory it occupies. It protects
such residents from coercion, corporal punishment, torture, the confiscation
of personal property, and collective punishment. The occupying power is
prohibited from transferring any part of its own population into the occupied
territory. This provision has been cited by U.N. resolutions objecting
to the creation of settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel takes
the position that the Fourth Geneva Convention does not apply to its role
as an occupying power. [ www.Law-Society.org/Reports/1999/geneva4]
See: U. N. Resolutions.
God. Supreme Being worshipped by Jews, Christians, and Muslims,
and known in Arabic as Allah and in Hebrew as G-d or YHWH. Arabic-speaking
Christians and Muslims both use the term Allah. Devout Jews do not pronounce
the ineffably sacred name of God, Yahweh, or Jehovah, thus the Hebrew
spellings above.
Golan Heights. Portions of the hilly plateau of southwestern Syria
occupied by Israel in 1967. Additional land was seized in 1973. In December
1981, Israel unilaterally annexed the Golan Heights. Under international
law the Golan Heights are considered part of the occupied territories.
See: Occupied Territories.
Green Line. Line drawn up by the 1949 Rhodes armistice agreement
separating Israel from the West Bank. Since 1967, the green line provides
the boundary between Israel and the occupied West Bank, which together
with the occupied Gaza Strip, comprises 22 percent of pre-1948 Palestine.
When Palestinians signed the Oslo Accords and modified their charter in
1996, they agreed to recognize Israel within the green line, thus conceding
78 percent of historic Palestine to the Jewish state. In some areas, such
as north of Bethlehem, Israel has further extended its control, leading
to the use of the phrase ‘creeping green line.’ See: Borders;
‘Generous Offer’.
Hamas (Acronym for Islamic Resistance Movement). Established in
1987 as an outgrowth of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine. Engages in
social-communal activities as well as armed struggle against Israel’s
occupation. Led by Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and concentrated in the Gaza Strip
and a few West Bank areas. Membership includes tens of thousands of supporters
and sympathizers.
Hebron. The largest city in the West Bank with approximately 125,000
Palestinian residents. Although 80 percent of Hebron is currently under
Palestinian administration (designated H1 in the Hebron Protocol to the
Oslo Accords), Israel controls the main access routes. The Old City of
Hebron (H2), also under Israeli military occupation, is home to an estimated
35,000 Palestinians, as well as 400 settlers who are protected by 1,200
Israeli soldiers. The traditional burial site for Abraham and Sarah, Isaac
and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah, located in the Old City, is known among
Palestinians as the Ibrahimi Mosque and to Jews as the Cave of Machpela.
Parts of the mosque were built by Herod the Great sometime prior to 4
B.C. Much of the present structure was built by Crusaders about 1115.
The worship area at the burial site was divided by Israel in 1994-95 following
the massacre of 29 Muslims at prayer by Baruch Goldstein, a settler with
dual American and Israeli citizenship. Two outside observer groups are
present in H2: the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) and
the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) organized by three U.S. peace churches,
the Mennonites, Brethren, and Friends. Hebron is some 45 miles south of
Jerusalem. [www.cpt.org] See: Crusades, Holy Land, Holy Places; Oslo;
Settlers; West Bank.
Hezbollah. An Islamic political movement and party, active mainly
in Beirut, the Beqa’ Valley, and South Lebanon. Starting in 1983,
Hezbollah carried out attacks against Israeli forces occupying South Lebanon,
which led ultimately to Israel’s withdrawal in May 2000.
Holy Land, Holy Places, Holy City. Popular designation for Israel,
the West Bank, and portions of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, where the biblical
events and Prophet Muhammad’s visit to Al Aqsa Mosque took place.
Jerusalem itself, especially the Old City, is regarded by Jews, Christians,
and Muslims as uniquely significant and is referred to as the Holy City.
Certain sites are known as Holy Places, generally those identified with
the lives and activities of King David, the Hebrew prophets, Jesus, Mary,
and the disciples, and Prophet Muhammad. The Western Wall is regarded
by Jews worldwide as the focus of liturgical life, and thus of enormous
significance. Christians consider the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in
the Old City, the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives,
and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem as of major importance. The
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection,
is believed to have been constructed over the places where Jesus was crucified
and where he rose from the dead. The Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque
on Al Haram al Sherif comprise the third holiest place in the Muslim world.
Some sites are revered by members of all three faiths, e.g., the burial
place of Abraham in Hebron, the tomb of Joseph in Nablus, and Rachel’s
Tomb in Bethlehem. [ www.Al-Bushra.org]
See: Al Haram al Sherif; Western Wall.
Home Demolitions. Practice of forcibly removing families from their
homes and destroying their dwellings. The government of Israel and some
Israeli municipalities have carried out home demolitions as punishment
for an alleged criminal act by a member of an extended family or because
the house was constructed or enlarged without a building permit. Demolitions
are carried out with the help or supervision of the Israeli army or police.
Home demolitions are a breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative
to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. From 1967 to 1999,
Israel demolished over 8,500 Palestinian homes. [ www. palestinemonitor.org; www.cpt.org;
www.batshalom.org] See: Geneva
Conventions.
Humanitarian Crisis. Sometimes used by the Western media to describe
shortages of medical supplies, food, and water in the West Bank and particularly
Gaza. While the phrase implies a natural disaster or unavoidable consequence
of war, shortages of medical supplies and food in the occupied territories
generally are a direct result of Israeli policies. Interfering with food
and medical supplies for a civilian population is forbidden by the Fourth
Geneva Convention, and technically is a ‘war crime.’
IDF (Israel Defence Forces). The conscripted army of the state
of Israel, in which both men and women serve. Certain Jewish religious
groups are exempted from service. Military service, which is otherwise
universal except for Israeli Arabs, is the basis for educational, health
and other social services. Druse citizens may be conscripted and some
Israeli Arab citizens have volunteered for service. [ www.idf.il/English]
See: Yesh Gvul.
Intifada (or Intifadah). Arabic word meaning ‘a shaking off,’
used as the designation of an uprising among Palestinians from 1987 until
1993. The uprising that was touched off by Ariel Sharon’s visit with
1,000 troops to Al Haram al Sherif on September 28, 2000, is known as
the Al Aqsa, or second, intifada, because Muslim youth considered themselves
to be defending the mosque located on Al Haram al Sherif. During the six
years of the first intifada, approximately 1,500 Palestinians and 35 Israelis
were killed; during the first year and a half of the second intifada,
1,000-plus Palestinians and 200-plus Israelis have been killed. [ www.electronicintifada.net;
www.birzeit.edu] See: Al Aqsa Martyrs
Bridages.
Islam, Islamic, Islamist. The religion practiced by Muslims who
believe in One, Unique and Incomparable God, Creator of the universe.
They acknowledge a chain of prophets, beginning with Adam and including
Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, David, Solomon,
Jesus, and the final prophet, Muhammad. One of three monotheistic religions
that trace their roots to Abraham, the others being Judaism and Christianity.
The three major groups within Islam are the Sunnis, Shi’a, and Alawites.
The Sunni branch accounts for 90 percent of the one billion Muslims in
the world and includes Wahabi Islam, which originated in Saudi Arabia
in the 19th century. Alawites are found in Syria, and the largest concentration
of Shi’a is in Iran. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions
in the U.S. and throughout the world. Islamic is the generally appropriate
adjective, as in Islamic architecture. Islamist is often used to refer
to individuals or groups with political concerns. [ www.cair-net.org; www.globalministries.org].
Islamic Jihad. Palestinian organization formed in mid- 1980s by
Fathi Shiqaqi and Abdulaziz Odeh. Advocates armed struggle for the liberation
of Palestine. See: Jihad.
Israel, Israelis, Israelites. The modern nation established in
1948, Israel is sometimes referred to as the Jewish State, although about
18 percent of the population is Arab. The citizens of Israel are Israelis;
Israeli can be used as an adjective to describe a person, place, or thing
(example: the Israeli city, Tel Aviv). The Israelites were a biblical
people among the descendants of Abraham. Historically, the term Israel
referred to the ancient Jewish kingdoms and sometimes to the Jewish people
as a whole. [ www.info.gov.il/eng]
See Jewish State.
Israeli Arabs. Native Arabic-speaking citizens of Israel. In 2001,
there were an estimated one million Israeli Arabs, the vast majority of
whom identify themselves as part of the Palestinian people by virtue of
their personal histories. Most Arab families in Israel have resided in
the area since before the state’s formation in 1948. See: Citizenship,
Nationality.
Jerusalem (including East Jerusalem). The English word designating
the city holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Most of the sacred sites
of the three religions are in the walled Old City, which comprises Jewish,
Muslim, Christian and Armenian Quarters. Although claimed by Israel as
its capital, Jerusalem is not recognized as such by the United States
or most other nations. The Knesset and principal government offices are
located in West Jerusalem. Although a part of a single municipality since
1967, East Jerusalem, under international law, is considered part of the
occupied territories. In 1967, Israel annexed parts of the West Bank and
unilaterally extended the boundaries of the city from 70 sq. miles to
over 900 sq. miles. The Hebrew name is Yerushalayim and the Arabic is
Al-Quds. [ www.Gush-Shalom.org/Jerusalem;
www.jerusalem.mu-ni.il; www.acj.org]
See: East Jerusalem; Divided, Undivided City.
Jewish National Fund. A subordinate body of the World Zionist Organization,
the J.N.F. entered into a ‘covenant’ in 1961 with the government
of Israel. Today, the J.N.F. in the U.S. is a tax-exempt corporation that
raises millions of dollars annually for the ‘afforestation, reclamation,
and development’ of the land of Israel, including the lands occupied
by Israel. To date, the J.N.F. owns 93% of the land inside Israel, most
of which was confiscated from Palestinians. By law, non-Jews cannot own,
reside, or work on land acquired by the Jewish National Fund.
Jewish Neighbourhoods or Jerusalem Neighbourhoods. A term sometimes
used as a euphemism for settlements, especially those located within the
extended borders of Jerusalem. See: Jerusalem, Settlements.
Jewish State. Occasionally used as a synonym for Israel, especially
when emphasizing the official nature of Israel’s monolithic religious
character. ‘The Jewish State’ is also the English translation
of the 1886 book ‘Der Judenstaat’ by Theodor Herzl, an Austrian-Jewish
writer and founder of the World Zionist Organization. The more accurate
translation of the German is ‘The Jews’ State.’ The distinction
is important: ‘Jewish’ refers to the culture of the state, as
reflected by its majority; in this sense, Israel is a Jewish country,
as the United States may be said to be a Christian one. If Herzl had this
sense in mind, he would have used the German ‘Der Judische Staat.’
But he used the possessive ‘Der Judenstaat,’ meaning it was
to be a state owned by all Jews, no matter where in the world they lived.
According to Herzl, the Arabs would be expelled and an exclusive state
belonging to Jews would result. See: Aliyah; Israel; Zionism.
Jews. Followers of the religion known as Judaism, although designation
includes ‘secular’ as well as ‘cultur-al’ Jews. [ www.ou.org/about/judaism2;
www.ajc.org] See: Judaism.
Jihad. Incorrectly translated ‘holy war,’ jihad is more
precisely a ‘striving,’ or ‘struggle’ of a Muslim
to keep the faith, to achieve self-control or personal development, or
to improve the quality of life in society. This jihad, called the ‘greater
jihad,’ has spiritual implications for devout Muslims, and is a fairly
common name given to children born in a time of struggle. The Qur’an
also speaks of a jihad of arms, the ‘smaller jihad,’ which permits
fighting as a means of self-protection, not unlike what Christians call
a ‘just war,’ which is fought against tyranny or oppression.
There is no such thing as ‘holy war’ in Islam; the Arabic term
harb muqaddasa, which translates holy war, cannot be found in the Qur’an
or in the sayings of the Prophet known as the Hadith. The word was adopted
by a political movement, the Islamic Jihad. See: Islamic Jihad.
Judaism. The religion practiced by Jews. In the U.S., Judaism is
made up of Conservative, Reform, Orthodox, and Reconstructionist congregations.
In Israel, Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist congregations have
no legal standing. Israeli Jews include large numbers of Ultra-Orthodox,
as well as many who are ‘secular,’ i.e., do not belong to congregations
and whose religious practices may be limited to certain religious holidays.
[Conservative: www.uscj.org; Reform:
www.uahc.org; Orthodox: www.ou.org;
Reconstructionist: www.jrf.org]
Judea and Samaria. Biblical names for the southern and central areas
of Palestine, now in the West Bank; used by some settlers and other Israelis
who hope or expect Israel to annex the occupied territories as a permanent
part of the state of Israel. [ www.yesha.org.il]
See: Occupied Territories; West Bank.
Kibbutz, Moshav. A kibbutz (plural, kibbutzim) is an Israeli community,
originally agricultural but increasingly industrial, in which most property
is collectively owned. Early in the development of Israel, the kibbutzim
gave the country a socialist flavor and orientation. A moshav (plural,
moshavim) is a cooperative community of small farmers in Israel, who own
their own property and possessions, organize their work cooperatively,
and market their produce jointly.
Knesset. Israeli parliament and the building in which it meets.
The Knesset, a unicameral legislature, functions in a modified parliamentary
system, with a separate national election for the Prime Minister who is
both head of government and a member of the Knesset. The President, also
elected separately, serves as the mostly ceremonial head of state. The
two major parties are the relatively liberal Labor Party and the more
conservative Likud Party. When, as at present, no party has a majority
in the 120-member Knesset, some of the numerous small, special interest
parties — excluding the Arab ones — are invited to form a coalition
government, thus giving these parties a disproportionate influence. [ www.Knessetgov.il/main/eng].
Koran. See: Qur’an.
Law of Return, Right of Return. In 1950, the Israeli Knesset adopted
the Law of Return giving any Jew in the world the right to move to and
settle in Israel. The Right of Return is the right of all Palestinian
refugees to return to their homes and is based on the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights (Articles 13, 15, and 17) adopted on December 10, 1948,
and Resolution 194 adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on December 11,
1948. The state of Israel opposes the return of Palestinian refugees,
fearing that their presence would change its character and demographics
as a Jewish State. [ www.untreaty.un.org/]
See: Aliyah; Refugees; Jewish State.
MK. Member of the Knesset. An elected representative in the Israeli
parliament, which is known as the Knesset. [ www.info.gov.il]
See: Knesset.
Madrasa. Arabic word for a school that is often, but not necessarily,
involved in the teaching of religion.
Martyr (in Arabic, Shahid). In religious terms, a witness to one’s
faith, including one who witnesses with his or her death (martyrdom).
In political terms, one who dies in the struggle for freedom and is honored
as a hero. See: Suicide Bomber.
Middle East. Land area of Southwest Asia and Northeast Africa, often
from Turkey to Yemen and Iran to Egypt; sometimes includes North Africa
to Morocco. Formerly known as the Near East, a term used by the British
whose empire once reached to the Far East (East Asia). Some geographers
prefer Southwest Asia.
Mosque. Muslim place of worship, commonly including a minaret from
which the call to prayer is announced or broadcast. Generally dominated
by a room facing Mecca, so marked by a qibla or niche toward which Muslims
face during prayers. In the United States there are about 2,000 mosques,
Islamic schools and Islamic centers. In Jerusalem the mosque most sacred
to Muslims is Al Aqsa Mosque located on the compound known as Al Haram
al Sherif or Noble Sanctuary, and known to Muslims as the ‘Farthest
Mosque.’ Properly speaking, the Dome of the Rock, also located on
the Haram, is not a mosque although sometimes it is incorrectly referred
to as the Mosque of Omar. The Caliph Omar, who conquered Jerusalem in
638 C.E., was offered an opportunity to pray in the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre but rejected the invitation knowing that his followers would
designate the Church as a mosque. Instead, Omar prayed just outside the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre where the Mosque of Omar was later built.
[ www.islam.org] See: Islam.
Muslim. Follower of the religion of Islam. Muslim (plural, Muslims
in English, Muslimun in Arabic) is the preferred spelling (do not use
Moslem) as a more accurate transliteration of the Arab word. Do not use
Mohammedan; Muslims do not consider themselves disciples of Muhammad in
the sense that Christians consider themselves disciples of Jesus, and
Muhammad is not part of the deity. There are 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide,
of whom an estimated 6 million live in the United States. About 20 percent
of all Muslims live in Arabic-speaking countries; Indonesia is the nation
with the largest Muslim population. Demographers estimate that in 2025
one-fourth of all people in the world will be Muslims. (Note: Do not use
Arab as a synonym for Muslim; some Arabs are Christian and the majority
of Muslims are non-Arabs.) [ www.cair-net.org]
See also: Islam.
Nakba (also Naqbaa or Nakbah) ‘The Catastrophe.’ Al Nakba
is the term used by Palestinians for the impact on them and their national
aspirations of what Israelis call their War of Independence, 1947-48.
700,000 Palestinians became refugees and 419 villages were destroyed.
The Nakba is marked by ceremonies each year on May 15. The Israeli analyst
Meron Benvenisti has used words like ‘ethnic cleansing’ to describe
the actions of Israeli troops in more than 30 documented massacres.
Near East. Term no longer in general use in the U.S. Once used, especially
by the British, to designate area now known as the Middle East. Sometimes
used by academics, especially archaeologists. See: Middle East.
Neutral Broker, Honest Broker. Avoid using these terms to describe
the role claimed by the U.S. in relation to the peace process. Neutrality
in this area is questioned in light of the United States’ disproportionate
financial and military aid to Israel and to the frequent assertion of
a ‘special relationship’ between the U.S. and Israel. See: Foreign
Aid to Israel; Special Relationship.
Occupied Territories. Territories occupied by Israel in 1967, specifically
Gaza (which had been governed by Egypt), the West Bank and East Jerusalem
(which had been under Jordanian jurisdiction), the Golan Heights (which
had been part of Syria), and the Sinai (which was later returned to Egypt).
Under terms of the Fourth Geneva Convention, no occupying power may legally
seize territory by war nor transplant its own population into the occupied
territories. As part of the Oslo Accords, Israel accepted U.N. Security
Council Resolution 242 that called for its withdrawal from these territories.
[ www.Gush-Shalom.org; www.LawSociety.org]
See: East Jerusalem; Gaza; Geneva Conventions; Golan Heights; West Bank.
Orient House. Office building used by the Palestinian Authority in
East Jerusalem. Seized by Israel on August 10, 2001, along with eight
other P.L.O. offices in East Jerusalem. [ www.pna.net]
See: East Jerusalem.
Orthodox, Orthodox Christians, Orthodox Jews. The word orthodox, when
applied to religious groups such as Christians and Jews, signifies an
historic theological position. For some, the word signifies theological
or liturgical purity. When used with a capital letter, Orthodox designates
particular groups, such as the Greek Orthodox Church or Orthodox Judaism.
See: Fundamentalist.
Oslo, Oslo Accords. Following secret negotiations in Oslo, Norway,
Israel and the P.L.O. signed the ‘Declaration of Principles on Interim
Self Government’ (DOP) on September 13, 1993. Implementation of the
first stage occurred in May 1994. This was followed by the Taba Agreement
(Oslo II) in 1995, the Hebron Agreement in 1997, and several other protocols.
Together these documents represent the ‘Oslo Accords.’
P.A., P.N.A. The Palestinian Authority or Palestinian National Authority
designate the elected governmental officials and agencies authorized under
the Oslo Accords. Yasir Arafat was elected president of the P.N.A. on
January 20, 1996. [ www.pna.net] See:
P.L.C.; Palestine.
P.L.C. The Palestinian Legislative Council of 88 members was elected
on January 20, 1996 from 16 electoral districts. The P.L.C. was created
pursuant to the Oslo Accords. The P.L.C. has no responsibility for foreign
affairs or agreements with foreign governments. [ www.pal-plc.org]
See: Oslo.
P.L.O. The Palestine Liberation Organization was established in May
1964 when the Arab League authorized a body to represent stateless Palestinians.
Yasir Arafat became the chairman in 1969. It was recognized by the United
Nations in 1974 as the representative of the Palestinian people and gained
a role as a U.N. observer in that year. The same year, an Arab summit
recognized the P.L.O. as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian
people. In 1993, Israel recognized the P.L.O. The P.L.O. is the official
Palestinian signatory to the Oslo Accords. [ www.nad-plo.org]
See: Oslo, P.N.C.
P.N.C. The Palestine National Council is the legislative body of the
P.L.O.; its 669 members represent Palestinians worldwide and elect an
Executive Committee of 18 members. Among the major actions of the P.N.C.
were the signing of the Palestine National Charter in 1964, the Palestinian
Declaration of Independence on November 15, 1988, and, in agreement with
the Oslo Declaration of Principles, the modification of the Charter on
April 21, 1996, which recognized the state of Israel.
Palestine Located from biblical times on the eastern edge of the
Mediterranean, the area was first designated as Palestine by the Romans
in the 2nd century. Although the 1947 U.N. Resolution 181 provided for
a Palestinian state on 43.5 percent of Mandate Palestine, Palestinians
still remain stateless. [ www.passia.org;
www.ARIJ.org] See: P.L.O., Palestinian
Authority, West Bank.
Peace Organizations. Organizations with activist peace and/or human
rights agenda have developed among Israelis and Palestinians. Some collaboration,
including demonstrations, brings both groups together. Israeli peace groups
include: B’Tselem [ www.btselem-.org],
Bat Shalom [ www.batshalom.org],
Coalition of Women for Peace [ www.coalitionofwomen-4peace.org]
Gush Shalom [ www.gush-shalom.org-/english],
Peace Now [ www.peace-now.org.il/english],
Rabbis for Human Rights [ www.rabbishr.org],
Women in Black and Yesh Gvul [ www.yesh-gvul.org/English].
Palestinian groups include: Al Haq [ www.alhaq.org],
Palestinian Center for Human Rights [ www.pchrgaza.org],
Bir Zeit Human Rights Action Project [ www.birzeit-edu/hrap],
Addameer [ www.addameer.org], International
Center of Bethlehem [ www.annadwa.org],
Palestine Human Rights Information Center [ www.ariga.com/human-rights],
Law [ www.LawSociety.org], Rapprochment
Center [ www.rapprochement.org],
Sabeel Liberation Theology Movement [ www.sabeel.org],
and the Wi’am Conflict Resolution Center [ www.planet.edu-/~alaslah].
Permits. Documents issued by Israeli authorities authorizing everyday
acts such as travel by residents of the West Bank and Gaza into Israel
for work or transit, building, and the importing and exporting of goods.
Residents of the West Bank or Gaza who wish to travel abroad must apply
for and receive special permission to reach the Tel Aviv airport and other
border crossings. Israel also issues identification papers to Palestinians
living within the extended borders of Jerusalem and has sometimes withdrawn
those IDs, as when students go abroad to study or when a Jerusalem-born
Palestinian marries a resident of the West Bank or Gaza. [ www.LawSociety.org]
See: Borders, Closure, Checkpoint.
Philistine, Falistin, Falistini. The Philistines are an ancient people
who, in biblical times, were rivals of the Israelites. Filistin is pronounced
the same way, but is the Arabic word for Palestine. Filistini (plural,
Filistiniun) is the Arabic word for a Palestinian. Philistine is not a
synonym for Filistini and should not be used in that way.
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (P.F.L.P.). A leftist
faction of the P.L.O. founded in 1967 by Dr. George Habash, a Christian
Palestinian. In 1988, the P.F.L.P. supported the P.N.C.’s declaration
of a Palestinian state, based on U.N. Resolution 181 (Palestine Partition
of 1947), but it opposed the P.L.O.’s signing of the Oslo Accord
of September 1993.
Qur’an. Preferred spelling (over Koran) for the Islamic scriptures
made up of 114 suras (chapters) that are divided into ayas (verses). The
Arabic word means ‘recitation.’ Muslims believe that the Prophet
Muhammad received the Qur’an in a series of revelations from God
through the angel Gabriel. See: Islam; Muslim.
Ramadan. The ninth month in the Arab calendar, considered holy
by Muslims because it was during that month that the first revelations
of what became the Qur’an were received by the Prophet Muhammad in
610. Muslims mark the month of Ramadan with fasting and discipline of
character during daylight hours and break the fast after sunset with a
special meal. The period ends with a celebration, the Eid al Fitr, which
lasts several days. Because the Arab calendar is based on the lunar cycle,
Ramadan begins about eleven days earlier each year. [ www.cair-net.org]
See: Islam; Muslim.
Refugees. Individuals who flee from or are driven from their homes,
especially in time of war, and are unable to return. The United Nations
defines a Palestinian refugee as a person ‘whose normal residence
was Palestine for a minimum of two years preceding the conflict in 1948,
and who, as a result of this conflict, lost both his home and his means
of livelihood and took refuge in 1948 in one of the countries where the
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (U.N.R.W.A.) provides relief. Refugees
within this definition and the direct descendants of such refugees are
eligible for Agency assistance’ under certain circumstances. A total
of 757,000 refugees were estimated in 1948 and several hundred thousand
additional persons became refugees in 1967. By 1999, the U.N. had registered
3.5 million refugees living in camps or assimilated into the populations
in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza. In 1948, the United
Nations recognized the right of all refugees to return to their homes
(Resolution 194). Today, 33 percent of all Palestinian refugees live within
59 camps maintained by U.N.R.W.A. [ www.badil.org-/Refugees]
See: Law of Return , Right of Return.
‘Relative Calm’, ‘Comparative Quiet’. Terms used
at times by the media to describe periods when few, if any Israelis are
killed, even though, during the same periods, more than a few Palestinians
were killed. Reporters should reflect the reality of the situation on
both sides.
Rubber-Coated Steel Bullets. This is more accurate than ‘rubber
bullets.’ It is important to distinguish live fire from rubber-coated
steel bullets. Often the Israeli army will use the latter when confronting
Palestinian stone throwers. The mainstream media customarily refers to
these bullets as ‘rubber-coated,’ giving the impression they
are more humane. In fact, they are steel bullets with a thin rubber coating
and they can cause more extensive damage than uncoated bullets when lodged
in a person’s head or abdomen, particularly a young person’s.
The U.S. government has criticized the Israeli government for their use
and misuse. Reporters and editors should also be careful to use equivalent
terms for both sides in the conflict. Use ‘killed’ rather than
‘murdered.’ Use names for both Israelis and Palestinians when
reporting persons killed and injured. [ www.btselem.org/files/ERubber.rtf]
See: IDF.
Salahadin Brigade. Named for Muslim general who defeated the Crusaders.
Military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, composed of members
of Hamas and Ya-sir Arafats’s Fatah organization. See: Fatah, Hamas,
Crusades.
Samaria. Area in the West Bank near Nablus where a religious group
known as Samaritans have lived since biblical times. The group, now estimated
to number fewer than 550, worship in Hebrew and still practice animal
sacrifice. They consider themselves Palestinians and are integrated into
Palestinian society. See: Judea and Samaria.
Security Measures. Term often used by Israel to justify such acts
as shelling Palestinian cities and villages, bulldozing homes, uprooting
olive and fruit trees, preventing foodstuff and medical supplies from
entering besieged areas, and destroying sources of water. Such acts do
not promote security, and often are provocative. A better term would be
punitive measures.
Semitic Peoples. Members of ethnic and religious groups who by tradition
are believed to be descendants from Noah’s son Shem (or Sem). Both
Jews and Arabs are of Semitic origin. Numerous Semitic languages are used
in the region.
Sephardim, Mizrahim. See: Ashkenazi, Jews.
Settlements. Originally any new Jewish development in Israel, but
now more frequently used to describe the ring of residential communities
constructed around Jerusalem and scattered in strategic areas throughout
the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights. Israelis refer to
those within the green line as ‘Jerusalem neighborhoods,’ but
this is contested by Palestinians and others who note that the status
of East Jerusalem is not yet resolved. Most settlements were constructed
on confiscated Arab land and at least partially at the expense of the
Israeli government. Sometimes called ‘colonies’ these settlements,
built for Jews only, often are massive apartment blocks or suburban homes,
and are a source of international controversy and Arab anger. Since the
Oslo Accords were signed in September 1993, 19,000 new housing units were
added, including 3,000 under Prime Minister Ehud Barak. In all, there
are now 194 settlements in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and 18
in the Gaza Strip. [ www.ARIJ.org; www.fmep.org/home.html;
www.gush- shalom.org] See:
Geneva Conventions.
Settlers. Jews who have chosen to live in subsidized homes and
communities known as settlements, many within commuting distance from
Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. By August 2000, there were 400,000 settlers living
in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in Gaza. The estimated
annual increase of settlers (natural growth and new additions) is 8 percent.
Although the first settlers, in the Jordan Valley and the Golan Heights,
were Laborites and generally secular, later settlers near Jerusalem, and
in Hebron, were more likely to be Ultra-Orthodox and highly ideological.
The Hebrew words for settler, mityashev or mitnachel, can mean either
a dweller or the possessor of an inheritance. [ www.yesha.org.il]
See: Settlements.
Shabbat. Jewish day of worship, beginning at sundown on Friday
and continuing until sundown Saturday.
Special Relationship. The frequently cited ‘special relationship’
between the United States and Israel originated with President John F.
Kennedy. Kennedy inherited tense relations with Egypt’s Nasser, who
appeared to favor the Soviet Union. With strife in Vietnam creating anxieties
about Communist expansion, Washington was eager for a dependable ally
in the Middle East. Since then, the United States, abetted by a strong
pro-Israel lobby, has given enormous military and economic aid to Israel,
along with diplomatic assistance by vetoing over 40 U.N. resolutions critical
of Israel. See: Foreign Aid to Israel.
Suicide Bomber. Often used by the Western media to describe a Palestinian
who detonates explosives strapped to his or her body. Such a Palestinian
does not see this as an act of suicide, which is prohibited by Islam.
Rather, it is seen as a legitimate means of defense on the part of an
occupied people and, as such, worthy of Islam’s most exalted honor,
that of martyr. Palestinians speak of a ‘martyrdom operation’
as opposed to ‘suicide bombing.’ See: Martyr.
Tanzim (‘Organization’ in Arabic). A quasi-military militia
associated with the P.L.O.’s Fatah organization. Members number in
the tens of thousands, most of them residents of the occupied territories.
The tanzim see themselves as graduates of the intifada, who are in the
vanguard of organizing protests against Israel’s occupation. They
are under the control of local commanders, with branches throughout the
occupied territories, and are especially strong within the universities
of Bethlehem, Bir Zeit, and An-Najah. They also conduct first aid and
civil defense courses on a regular basis.
Targeted Killings, Interceptions. Terms used by Israel to describe
its policy of executing Palestinians without bringing them to trial. These
Palestinians are killed by Israeli death squads or missile-firing helicopters.
The Israeli military also uses the phrase ‘target bank’ to refer
to the list from which the security cabinet selects its next target. Palestinians
and human rights groups condemn the practice, and use the term ‘assassinations,’
or ‘extra-judicial executions.’
Temple Mount. English term used by Israelis for the site of the First
and Second Temples and the current location of the Dome of the Rock and
Al Aqsa Mosque (the Noble Sanctuary.) The Hebrew terms are Har Ha Moriyya
or Har Ha Bayt with the Arabic equivalent Al Haram al Sherif.
Temple Mount Faithful. A militant Jewish organization determined to
‘liberate’ the Temple Mount (Noble Sanctuary) from what they
believe is an Arab occupation by destroying the Dome of the Rock and Al
Aqsa Mosque or moving them to Mecca, after which they plan to rebuild
the Third Temple. [ www.templemountfaithful.org]
See: Al Haram al Sherif; East Jerusalem.
Terrorism. An act causing extreme fear, dread, fright. Can refer
to a mode of governing (military action, sometimes called state-sponsored
terrorism) or a mode of opposing government (armed resistance, sometimes
called a poor man’s way of waging war). Military action is often
justified on the grounds of national security, while armed resistance
is often justified on human rights grounds. The United Nations recognizes
the legitimacy of ‘armed struggle’ as a means towards self-determination,
or restoring a lost independence (e.g., General Assembly Resolution 2246).
Israel, however, asserts that all acts of resistance by Palestinians are
illegitimate acts of terrorism. Journalists should be aware that to use
the term ‘terrorism’ for every act of violence from the Palestinian
side is to reveal a pro-Israeli bias in their reporting, since this is
not the way Palestinians describe actions taken to force Israel to change
its 35-year occupation. A better word to use may be ‘resistance,’
as in: ‘A group of Palestinians believed to be members of Hamas ambushed
a bus carrying Jewish settlers in a destructive and deadly continuation
of Palestinian resistance designed to force Israel to abandon its occupation
policies.’ The same is true of Israeli actions; it is better to describe
them as military actions, as in: ‘The Israeli military bulldozed
12 Palestinian homes today in an effort to break Palestinian resistance.’
Judging whether such acts of a state or a resistance group are contrary
to international conventions is the task, not of journalists, but of tribunals
such as the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the U.N. Human
Rights Commission, and countries that signed the Geneva Conventions. In
December 2001, for example, more than 100 signatories of the Geneva Convention
gathered in Switzerland to reprimand Israel for ‘indiscriminate and
disproportional violence’ against Palestinian civilians in the occupied
territories, and urged it to abide by international law. See Martyr; Suicide
Bomber.
Transfer; Transfer Agreement. Transfer is a euphemism for ethnic cleansing.
Reference is often made to the Zionist master plan, Plan Dalet (Plan D),
the name given by the Zionist High Command to military operations in April-May
1948 that eventually resulted in the expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinians
and the destruction of over 400 of their villages. The idea is still prevalent.
In a February 2002 poll by the Israeli newspaper Maariv, more than a third
of Israelis surveyed said they supported the idea of ‘transfer’
of Palestinians out of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to Arab countries.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon himself has said that ‘The Palestinians
already have a state—it’s called Jordan.’ The Transfer
Agreement refers to the negotiated arrangement in 1933 between Zionist
organizations and the Nazis to transfer some 50,000 able-bodied Jews,
and $100 million of their assets, to Palestine in exchange for stopping
the worldwide, Jewish-led boycott that threatened to topple Hitler’s
regime in its first year. [ www.feature-group.com/transfer]
See: Nakba; Refugees; Zionism.
U.N. Resolutions. Both the General Assembly and the Security Council
have adopted numerous resolutions dealing with Israel and the Palestinians.
In 1947, the General Assembly offered a partition plan for Palestine as
Resolution 181. In 1948, UNGA Resolution 194 declared the Palestinian
refugees’ right of return. In November 1967, the Security Council’s
Resolution 242 called on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories
and for Arab countries to recognize Israel and end the state of war. When
war broke out again in October 1973, UNSC 338 called for peace negotiations
and reaffirmed 242. Those two Security Council resolutions were cited
in the Oslo Accords signed by Israel and the P.L.O. and are the agreed-upon
basis for final status negotiations. In September 2000, UNSC 1322 called
on Israel to abide by its responsibilities under the Fourth Geneva Convention
[ www.untreaty.un.org/]. See:
Geneva Conventions; Occupied Territories; Refugees.
Unrecognized Villages. A significant number of Palestinian villages
in Israel, which pre-date Israel’s founding, exist without formal
recognition from the Israeli government. They are provided with no public
services and are subject to the confiscation of any land not under cultivation.
They have been befriended and to some extent protected by several sympathetic
groups of Israeli Jews.
West Bank. Area captured by Israel in 1967. Following the end of the
British Mandate in 1947 and until 1967 the area was administered by Jordan
and became known as the West Bank (of the Jordan River). [ www.ARIJ.org]
See: East Jerusalem; Green Line.
Western Wall (once called Wailing Wall). Hebrew: HaKotel Hanna’aravi.
Site revered by Jews who come to pray and lament the destruction of the
First and Second Temples. The wall, with some stones in distinctive Herodian
style, was part of a retaining wall built by Herod the Great in 20 B.C.
to support the platform of the Second Temple. The modern plaza facing
the wall was created after Israel conquered the Old City in 1967 and demolished
hundreds of Palestinian homes. Do not use Wailing Wall. See: Jerusalem.
Yesh Gvul (Hebrew meaning ‘There is a Limit’). Israeli peace
group, founded in 1982, to support soldiers who refuse assignments of
a repressive or aggressive nature. During current intifada two other support
groups have been founded, one by disabled army veterans and one by wives
of reserve soldiers. By February 2002, over 250 reservists refused to
serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip because Israel’s policies there
involved ‘dominating, expelling, starving, and humiliating an entire
people.’ [ www.yesh-gvul.org/english]
See Peace Organizations.
Yesha Council. Organization of Jewish settlements in the West Bank,
Gaza and East Jerusalem; seeks politically to prevent any government from
compromising on the continued development of settlements; at times settlement
members take the law into their own hands in an attempt to drive Palestinian
farmers from their land. [ www.yesha.org.il].
See: Settlements; Settlers.
Zion, Zionism, Zionists. Zion is a biblical name variously referring
to Jerusalem as a whole, the temple area, and to the location of David’s
palace. In the New Testament and for many Christians, Zion refers to the
future locus of God’s kingdom—sometimes with apocalyptic implications.
The term Zionism was first used in 1890 in its modern context as a movement
to resettle Jews in historic Palestine and to create the state of Israel.
Theodor Herzl provided a strong impetus to the movement as early as 1881
and in 1895 wrote a pamphlet in German ‘Der Judenstaat.’ Political
Zionism is a form of Jewish nationalism that regards all Jews worldwide
as part of a national entity called ‘the Jewish people.’ Central
to this concept is the belief that anti-Semitism is, as Chaim Weizmann,
the first president of Israel, called it, a ‘bacillus’ that
infects every Gentile, whether he knows it or not. The Jewish philosopher
Ahad Ha’am, also known as Asher Ginzberg, represented the more conciliatory
form of Zionism. In 1891, he acknowledged that Palestine was not a land
without a people and that it could accommodate only a small number of
Jews from around the world. Those who did settle in Palestine, said Ha’am,
must respect the rights of the Palestinian majority. In 1975, the U.N.
General Assembly passed Resolution 3379 declaring Zionism ‘a form
of racism and racial discrimination.’ In 1991, due to diplomatic
lobbying by the United States, the 1975 resolution was repealed. Contemporary
Zionists are those who have associated themselves with the goals of the
modern state of Israel, some through cultural, economic and political
means, some through military and other violent strategies. [ www.wzo.org.il]
See: Christian Zionism; Jewish State.
The style sheet represents work in progress and the compiler, J. Martin
Bailey, welcomes comments and recommendations. Contact: MartBailey@aol.com