An Arab Palestinan homeland? OK, but where?
Where can, and should it be located? Is it feasible and realistic? Will it ensure the survival of Israel and Zionism? Is it politically and economically coherent? Is it historically consistent? Will it allow Arab Palestinians to express their sense of national identity, decide their destiny (e.g. to vote), and will it contribute to a better life? In order to make our way through the maze of complexities, competing arguments and myths, we need to understand the history of an idea – Palestinianism — and how and why it became such a contentious issue.
Prior to the defeat of the Turkish/Ottoman Empire in World War I, there is no indication of an Arab, or Palestinian subgroup living in the area; local Arabs considered themselves to be “southern Syrians.” After the war, the League of Nations created nation-states in the area (e.g. Syria, Iraq, etc) and assigned the area which became known as the “Palestine Mandate” to be administered by Britain, as a national homeland for the Jewish people. In 1921, Britain created “Transjordan,” (east of the Jordan River) and installed a Saudi tribe to rule, which became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. During the 1920’s and 1930’s, anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist riots and pogroms, led by Haj Amin al-Husseini, the mufti of Jerusalem and Nazi supporter, and Islamist groups (e.g. the Moslem Brotherhood) espoused a virulent form of Palestinian nationalism that remains at its core.
