Page 367 - עלי זית וחרב - כרך כ

Prof. Mustafa Abbasi (chairman), Prof. Mahmoud Yazbak, Dr.
Itamar Radai and Dr. Lana Whebi

Roots and Embers: A Discourse on the beginnings of
Palestinian Historiography

During the British Mandate, the Battles of the War of Independence, the
Palestinian Nakba and the years of Israeli martial law (1948–1966), the Israeli
discourse focused on shaping the Zionist story. Until the signing of the Oslo
Accord on 13 September 1993 Israeli governments refuse to recognize the existent
of a Palestinian people and its right for self-determination. On reaching 100 years
of the bloody Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with no end in sight, the editors of Aley
Zait Vaherev convened a panel of scholars including Prof. Mustafa Abbasi
(chairman), Prof. Mahmoud Yazbak, Dr. Itamar Radai and Dr. Lana Whebe to
discuss the beginnings of Palestinian historiography. The time frame for the
discussion was from the period of the British rule (1917–1948) up to 1964, when
the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was established. Naturally, the
discussion broadened to touching upon the sweeping changes brought about by
the Six-Day War of June 1967.

The discussion opened with a reference to the roots of the Palestinian and Arab
historiography rooted in the ancient, medieval, and modern periods up to the
British conquest, and the resurgence of Palestinian society in the second half of
the 19th century as the background for the growth of modern Arab intelligentsia in
Palestine. The main part of the discourse was devoted to an examination of the
contribution of the guardians of Palestine intelligentsia – writers, researchers,
journalists, poets and intellectuals – during this period, and the considerable
differences between the generations. At the conclusion of the discussion the hope
was expressed that the study of the annals of the Palestine people would deepen
the understanding of the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and would
contribute toward the resolution of the conflict.

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