- Part 1 Research: Empire, Nationalism, and the Making of a Contested Land, 1858–1947
Before Israel and Palestine Between the Ottoman Land Code of 1858 and the United Nations partition vote of November 1947, a modest province of the Ottoman Empire became the most contested territory on earth. This paper reconstructs how that happened. It argues that the conflict over Palestine cannot be adequately explained as the aggression of… Read more: Part 1 Research: Empire, Nationalism, and the Making of a Contested Land, 1858–1947
- [Part 1] Independence and Catastrophe: 1948
The war began before Israel existed. Within days of the United Nations vote to partition Palestine in November 1947, fighting broke out between the Jewish and Arab communities already living there. By the time the war ended, the State of Israel would exist. Palestine would not. Roughly 700,000 Palestinians would be refugees. Thousands of Jewish… Read more: [Part 1] Independence and Catastrophe: 1948 - [Part 0] Independence and Catastrophe: Before the Conflict
If you come to the history of Israel and Palestine looking to label Jewish people or Palestinian people as the villain, you’re going to be disappointed. The real story is harder than that. It is the story of two peoples who had genuine reasons to be afraid. Two peoples with deep connections to the same… Read more: [Part 0] Independence and Catastrophe: Before the Conflict
