Author Description

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.