The Onset of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, 1917–47

Abstract

This chapter describes the onset of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the 1917–47 period. It argues that the word “tragedy” is typically overused in descriptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for it implies a false symmetry between the Zionist and Palestinian narratives, when in fact, the Palestinian narrative is much closer to the historical truth. However, it is more persuasive to describe the origins of the conflict as a genuine tragedy: two national movements, two peoples, both having legitimate but irreconcilable claims over the Land of Palestine. Among the topics examined are the onset of the conflict; Zionist “transfer” policies; the development of Palestinian resistance and the subsequent expulsion of the Palestinians; and the ongoing impact of the “Iron Wall” concept in Zionist and Israeli policies.