This textbook brings together a collection of the most important primary sources in the study of Palestinian nationalism, from the late 19th century through to the present day.
Drawing from the eight-volume, 3,500-page collection published by the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs, this volume contains over 170 of the most important documents in Palestinian political history. Each document has been carefully edited so that extraneous material is removed, making it easier for the student to understand the historical threads that connect the documents. The collection here includes private memoranda and correspondence, political speeches, official treaties, formal letters of understanding, multinational agreements, and international communiqués, and will provide the student with an excellent foundation to understand why Palestinian nationalism has not been as successful in the region as other nationalist movements. In addition, an introductory chapter provides key context for the study of Palestinian history, illustrating the history of successes and challenges faced by proponents of Palestinian nationalism.
Palestinian History and Politics: An Introduction and Documentary Reader is a single volume that will interest students focused on Palestines quest for national status, as well as instructors teaching courses on Palestinian political history.
Introduction
1. Theodore Herzl, The Jewish State,
1896.
2. The Basle Program, First Zionist Congress, Basle, 31 August
1897.
3. Letter of Yousef Duya-Uddin (Pasha) Al-Khalidi, Mayor of Jerusalem, to the
Chief Rabbi of France, Zadok Kahn, 1899 and Theodore Herzls Response, 19
March
1899.
4. MacMahon-Hussein Correspondence, 1915-16.
5. British Government, Message to King Hussein of the Arab Kingdom of Hedjaz
Regarding Palestinian Holy Places and Zionist Colonisation, January
1916.
6. The Sykes-Picot Agreement, 16 May
1916.
7. Successive Drafts and Final Text of the Balfour Declaration, July-November
1917.
8. Agreement between Amir Faisal of the Arab Kingdom of Hedjaz and Chaim
Weizmann of the Zionist Organization, 3 January
1919.
9. Statement by Anti-Zionist Jews to the Peace Conference, 4 March
1919.
10. The British White Paper (Churchill White Paper): British Policy in
Palestine, 3 June
1922.
11. Council of the League of Nations, Confirmed Text on the Terms of the
British Mandate, 24 July
1922.
12. Chairman of the Palestine Zionist Executive Colonel Frederick H. Kisch,
Note of a Conversation with Musa Kazim Al-Husseini, Jerusalem, 23 October
1923
13. Arab Draft of Points on Palestine, Presented to John Philby, Damascus, 21
October
1929.
14. Statement of Policy by His Majesty's Government, Presented by the
Secretary of State for the Colonies to Parliament by Command of his Majesty -
The Passfield White Paper, United Kingdom, 1 October
1930.
15. British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, Letter to Chaim Weizmann,
President of the World Zionist Organization, (Black Letter), 13 February
1931.
16. Ahmad Salih Al-Khalidi, Principal of the Government Arab College,
Proposal for Cantonization and Formation of an Arab and Jewish State, July
1934.
17. Fatwa from the Religious Scholars of Palestine Regarding Selling of the
Lands to Jews, 26 January 1935
18. Summary Report of the Palestine Royal Commission (Peel Commission),
Presented by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to the United Kingdom
Parliament, 7 July
1937.
19. Palestine Partition Commission (Woodhead Commission) - British Policy
Statement against Partition, November
1938.
20. The British White Paper (MacDonald White Paper), 17 May
1939.
21. The Arab Case for Palestine: Evidence Submitted by the Arab Office,
Jerusalem, to the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry, March
1946.
22. Arab Higher Committee Member Jamal Bey Husseini, Statement Before the Ad
Hoc Committee on the Palestine Question on Arab Reactions to the UNSCOP
Proposals, 29 September 1947
23. United Nations General Assembly: Resolution 181, The Partition of
Palestine (November 29, 1947)
24. US President Harry S. Truman, Proposal for a Temporary UN Trusteeship for
Palestine, 25 March
1948.
25. Provisional State Council, Proclamation of Israeli Independence, Tel
Aviv, 14 May
1948.
26. Arab League States, Statement Following the Establishment of the State of
Israel, 15 May
1948.
27. UN Mediator on Palestine, Count Folke Bernadotte, Suggestions Presented
to the Two Parties, 27 June
1948.
28. Cablegram from the Premier and Acting Foreign Secretary of the
All-Palestine Government, Ahmed Hilmi Pasha, to the UN Secretary-General
Concerning the Constitution of the All-Palestine Government, 28 September
1948.
29. Palestine Arab Higher Committee, Palestinian Proclamation of
Independence, Gaza, 1 October
1948.
30. National Council Conference, Palestine Arab Higher Committee, Palestinian
Proclamation of Independence, Gaza, 1 October
1948.
31. UN Conciliation Commission for Palestine, Working Paper on the Future of
Arab Palestine and the Question of Partition Prepared by the Secretariat, 30
July
1949.
32. UN General Assembly, Resolution 303 on Jerusalem, 9 December
1949.
33. Jordanian House of Deputies and House of Notables, Joint Resolution
Annexing the West Bank and Jerusalem, Amman, 24 April
1950.
34. National Covenant of the Palestine Liberation Organization, First Arab
Palestine Congress, Jerusalem, 28 May
1964.
35. Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, Statement to the Knesset - The
Israeli Peace Plan, Jerusalem, 17 May
1965.
36. League of Arab States, Council of Foreign Ministers, Protocol for the
Treatment of Palestinians in Arab States ("Casablanca Protocol"), 11
September
1965.
37. League of Arab States, Summit Conference Resolution, Khartoum, 1
September
1967.
38. UN Security Council, Resolution 242, 22 November
1967.
39. Palestine Liberation Organization, Statement Rejecting UN Security
Council Resolution 242, Cairo, 23 November
1967.
40. The Palestinian National Charter: Resolutions of the Palestine National
Council (PNC), Cairo, 17 July
1968.
41. Palestine National Liberation Movement (Fateh), Seven Points Passed by
the Central Committee, January
1969.
42. PLO-Lebanese (Cairo) Agreement, Cairo, 3 November
1969.
43. Gov of Israel, Basic Foreign Policy Principles, Jerusalem, 15 December
1969.
44. Spokesman of the PLO Executive Committee, Kamal Nasser, Statement on
Municipal Elections in the West Bank, February
1972.
45. King Hussein of Jordan, United Arab Kingdom Plan, Amman, 15 March
1972.
46. Spokesman of the PLO Executive Committee, Kamal Nasser, Reply to King
Husseins Proposed Plan for the West Bank, Beirut, 16 March
1972.
47. League of Arab States, Secret Resolutions, Summit Conference, Algiers, 4
December
1973.
48. Palestine National Council, Political Program Adopted at Its 12th
Session, Cairo, 8 June
1974.
49. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Statement
Announcing Withdrawal from the PLO Executive Committee, Beirut, 26 September
1974.
50. League of Arab States, Communiqué of the 7th Arab Summit Conference,
Rabat, 28 October
1974.
51. UN General Assembly, Resolution 3237 Granting Observer Status to the
Palestine Liberation Organization, New York, 22 November
1974.
52. UN General Assembly, Resolution 3375 (XXX) Inviting the PLO to
Participate in the Efforts for Peace in the Middle East, New York, 10
November
1975.
53. Palestinian National Council, Political Declaration, 12th Session, Cairo,
22 March
1977.
54. UN General Assembly, Resolution 32/5 on Israeli Settlements in the
Territories, New York, 28 October
1977.
55. PLO Factions, Six-Point Program Calling for the Formation of a
Steadfastness and Confrontation Front against Sadats Negotiations with
Israel, 4 December
1977.
56. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Proposed Autonomy Plan for the
Palestinians, Jerusalem, 28 December
1977.
57. Office of the Legal Advisor of the US State Department, Opinion to the US
Congress, Declaring that Israeli Settlements are Inconsistent with
International Law, 21 April
1978.
58. Government of Egypt, Proposals Relative to Withdrawal from the West Bank
and Gaza and Security Arrangements (Egyptian Six-Point Peace Plan), 3 July
1978.
59. The Camp David Accords - Framework for Peace in the Middle East, Camp
David, 17 September
1978.
60. West Bank National Conference, Statement Rejecting the Camp David
Accords, Beit Hanina, Jerusalem, 1 October
1978.
61. Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt, Washington, DC, 26 March
1979.
62. Government of Israel, Model for the Self-Governing Authority, 16 January
1980.
63. UN General Assembly, Resolution ES-7/2 on the Question of Palestine, New
York, 29 July
1980.
64. Government of Israel, Israeli Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel,
Knesset, 30 July
1980.
65. PLO Executive Committee, Statement on Jerusalem, Damascus, 1 August
1980.
66. UN Security Council, Resolution 478 on Jerusalem, New York, 20 August
1980.
67. Foreign Minister Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia, Eight-Point Peace Plan
(Fahd Plan), 6 August
1981.
68. Government of Israel, Proposals for the Self-Governing Authority in the
Territories (Autonomy Plan), 31 January
1982.
69. League of Arab States, Final Declaration of the 12th Arab Summit
Conference (Fez Plan), Fez, 9 September
1982.
70. Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Events at the Refugee Camps
in Beirut (Kahan Commission), 8 February
1983.
71. Government of Jordan, Communiqué on the End of Negotiations with the PLO,
Amman, Jordan, 10 April
1983.
72. Joint Palestinian-Jordanian Accords, 11 February
1985.
73. PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, Statement on Terrorism (The Cairo
Declaration), Cairo, 7 November
1985.
74. Palestine Liberation Organization, Three Proposals Submitted to American
and Jordanian Negotiators, Clarifying the PLOs Positions on the Peace
Process, Amman, 5 February
1986.
75. The Palestinian Fourteen (14) Points, Jerusalem, 14 January
1988.
76. King Hussein of Jordan, Speech on Jordans Disengagement from the West
Bank, Amman, 31 July
1988.
77. Palestinian National Council, Declaration of Independence, Algiers, 15
November
1988.
78. US President Ronald Reagan, Statement on US-PLO Dialogue, Washington, DC,
14 December
1988.
79. Palestinian West Bank Leaders, Letter Rejecting Israels Election Plan,
27 April
1989.
80. Israeli Government, Peace Initiative: Plan for Elections in the Occupied
Territories, Jerusalem, 15 May
1989.
81. US President George H. Bush, Statement Announcing the Decision to Suspend
the PLO-US Dialogue, Huntsville, Alabama, 20 June
1990.
82. Palestine Liberation Organization, Statement on the Gulf Crisis, Tunis,
19 August
1990.
83. Palestinian Memorandum to US Secretary of State James Baker, Jerusalem,
12 March
1991.
84. Palestinian National Council, Political Statement, 20th Session, Algiers,
28 September
1991.
85. Joint US-USSR Letter of Invitation to the Madrid Peace Conference, 18
October
1991.
86. Madrid Peace Conference - Closing Speeches: Remarks by Haidar Abdul
Shafi, Head of the Palestinian Delegation, 1 November
1991.
87. Palestinian Delegation, Outline of Model of the Palestinian Interim
Self-Government Authority (PISGA), Washington, DC, 14 January
1992.
88. Palestinian Delegation, Memorandum to US Secretary of State James Baker,
Jerusalem, 20 July
1992.
89. Palestinian Delegation, Letter to the Israeli Delegation on the Progress
of the Peace Talks, Washington, DC, 19 November
1992.
90. Palestinian Delegation, Draft Proposal for a Declaration of Principles,
Tunis, 9 May
1993.
91. Faisal Husseini, Memorandum to Special US Middle East Coordinator Dennis
Ross, Jerusalem, 1 July
1993.
92. Secret Oslo Signing Ceremony: Speeches at the Conclusion of the
Declaration of Principles, Oslo, 20 August
1993.
93. PLO and Israel, Exchanged Letters of Mutual Recognition, 9 September
1993.
94. PLO Executive Committee, Statement on the Declaration of Principles,
Tunis, 12 September
1993.
95. Palestinian-Israeli Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government
Authority (DOP), White House, Washington, DC, 13 September
1993.
96. King Hussein of Jordan, Address to the Parliament, Amman, 23 November
1993.
97. Gaza-Jericho Autonomy Agreement (Cairo Agreement), Cairo, 4 May
1994.
98. Palestinian-Israeli Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip
(Oslo II), Washington, DC, 28 September
1995.
99. Framework for the Conclusion of a Final Status Agreement between Israel
and the Palestine Liberation Organization (the Beilin-Abu Mazen Final Status
Agreement), 31 October
1995.
100. Palestinian National Council, Revision of the Palestinian National
Covenant, 21st Session, Gaza, 24 April
1996.
101. PLO and Israel Negotiation Delegations, Joint Communiqué, First Session
of the Permanent Status Negotiations, Taba, 6 May
1996.
102. Palestinian and Israeli Negotiation Delegations, Agreement on the
Temporary International Presence in the City of Hebron (TIPH), 9 May
1996.
103. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Speech on Presenting the New
Government, Knesset, Jerusalem, 18 June
1996.
104. Palestinian Authority, List of Israeli Violations of the Oslo Agreement,
Gaza, 15 July
1996.
105. Israeli Government Press Office, Major PLO Violations of the Oslo
Accords, Jerusalem, 25 October
1996.
106. Palestinian Delegation to the Peace Talks, Issues Awaiting
Implementation by the Israeli Government in Accordance with the
Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
November
1996.
107. Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron (Hebron Agreement), 15
January
1997.
108. King Hussein of Jordan, Letter to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on
the Peace Process, Amman, 9 March
1997.
109. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Reply to King Husseins Letter,
Jerusalem, 10 March
1997.
110. President Yasser Arafat, Address to the Conference on the Implementation
of the Oslo Accords, Gaza, 15 March
1997.
111. Palestinian Chief Negotiator Sa'eb Erekat, Letter to US, EU and Other
International Representatives Regarding Israeli Settlement Expansion in the
Gaza Strip, 25 April
1997.
112. Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Memorandum of Security
Understandings, 17 December
1997.
113. Hamas, Statement to President Yasser Arafat Regarding the Negotiations
with the Palestinian Authority, 18 June
1998.
114. The Wye River Memo, The White House, Washington, DC, 23 October
1998.
115. Resolutions of the Palestinian Opposition Conference (Palestinian
National Conference), Damascus, 12-13 December
1998.
116. PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, Speech at the Palestinian Conference to
Affirm Renunciation of the PLO Charter, Gaza, 14 December
1998.
117. Government of Israel, Position on Expansion of Settlements, Jerusalem,
27 April 1999
118. Sharm El-Sheikh Memorandum on Implementation Timeline of Outstanding
Commitments of Agreements Signed and the Resumption of Permanent Status
Negotiations, 4 September
1999.
119. US Letter of Assurance to PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, 8 September 1999
120. Protocol Concerning Safe Passage between the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip, 5 October
1999.
121. Petition of the Twenty, "A Call from the Homeland," Palestine, 27
November
1999.
122. Palestinian Political Personalities, Reconciliation Document, 1 December
1999.
123. Palestinian Intellectuals, "Message to the Israeli and Jewish Public,"
March
2000.
124. Trilateral Statement on the Middle East Summit, Camp David, Maryland, 25
July
2000.
125. US President Clinton, Remarks on Returning from Camp David, Maryland, 25
July
2000.
126. Mahmoud Abbas, Report on the Camp David Summit to the PLO Central
Council, Gaza, 9 September
2000.
127. Palestinian Academics and Activists, Urgent Statement to the Israeli
Public, 10 November
2000.
128. The Clinton Parameters, 23 December
2000.
129. PLO Negotiating Team, Reservations Concerning US President Clintons 23
December Proposals for an Israeli-Palestinian Peace Agreement, Ramallah and
Gaza, 1 January
2001.
130. Draft of the Palestinian Constitution, 14 February
2001.
131. Jordanian-Egyptian Proposal for Cessation of Palestinian-Israeli
Violence and Resumption of Negotiations, 17 April
2001.
132. Sharm El-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee Final Report (Mitchell Report),
30 April 2001
133. Palestine Liberation Organization, Official Response to the Final Report
of the Sharm El-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee (Mitchell Report), 15 May
2001.
134. US Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk, Speech on the Lessons Learned from
the Peace Process, Tel Aviv, 12 July
2001.
135. Palestinian National Authority, Basic Law, 29 May
2002.
136. The Ayalon-Nusseibeh Statement of Principles (The Peoples Voice), 27
July
2002.
137. A Performance-Based Road Map to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, 30 April
2003.
138. Israeli Cabinet, Communiqué Approving Removal of Chairman Arafat,
Jerusalem, 11 September
2003.
139. Draft Permanent Status Agreement - "The Geneva Accord", Jordan, 12
October 2003
140. Fateh Movement, Statement on the Geneva Accord, 1 December
2003.
141. PLO Executive Committee, Political Statement after Meeting with
Representatives of the Palestinian Factions, Ramallah, 30 May
2004.
142. International Court of Justice, Legal Consequences of the Construction
of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Summary and Actual Ruling, 9
July
2004.
143. Palestinian Public Figures, Public Statement on a National Salvation
Government, 14 August
2004.
144. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Speech to the Knesset, Jerusalem,
26 October
2004.
145. The Disengagement Plan - General Outline, 25 January
2005.
146. Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, Statement to the Palestinian
People, 22 June
2005.
147. Israeli Cabinet, Communiqué on the Beginning of the Implementation of
the Disengagement Plan, Jerusalem, 15 August
2005.
148. Report of the Special Rapporteur of the UN Commission on Human Rights on
the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied by
Israel since 1967 (UNGA A/60/271), 18 August
2005.
149. President Mahmoud Abbas, Decree on the Legislative Elections, Gaza, 20
August
2005.
150. Israeli-Palestinian Agreement on Movement and Access, 15 November
2005.
151. Agreed Principles for the Rafah Crossing, 15 November
2005.
152. Joint Israeli-Palestinian Private Sector Declaration, Conference on
Promoting Economic Growth in West Bank and Gaza, London, 13 December
2005.
153. President Mahmoud Abbas, Speech after the Announcement of the Results of
the 2nd Palestinian Legislative Council Elections, Ramallah, 26 January
2006.
154. Israeli Prime Ministers Bureau, Statement on the Palestinian
Legislative Council, Jerusalem, 26 January
2006.
155. Program of the Hamas Government, 11 March
2006.
156. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Address to the Knesset, Jerusalem, 4
May
2006.
157. National Conciliation Document of the Palestinian Prisoners (Original
Version), 11 May
2006.
158. Government of Israel, Reaction to the Palestinian Prisoners Document
(A Text Analysis), 29 June
2006.
159. Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), Statement Condemning Israels War Crimes
in Gaza and Lebanon, Ramallah, 17 July
2006.
160. PLO Executive Committee, Decisions during the Meeting to Study
Alternative Options, Ramallah, 10 December
2006.
161. Mecca Accord between Hamas and Fateh, Mecca, 8 February
2007.
162. Prime Minister-Elect Ismail Haniyeh, Speech before the Palestinian
Legislative Council (Program of Palestinian Unity Government), Gaza, 17 March
2007.
163. Palestinian Authority, Program of the National Unity Government, 17
March
2007.
164. Statement by the Middle East Quartet, 21 March
2007.
165. President Mahmoud Abbas, Speech at the Annapolis Conference, Annapolis,
Maryland, 27 November
2007.
166. Israeli-Palestinian Agreement to Formally Restart Middle East Peace
Talks, US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, 27 November
2007.
167. Confidential Summary of Israeli Prime Minister Olmerts Package Offer
to Palestine President Abu Mazen (31 August, 2008).
168. United Nations: Human Rights in Palestine and Other Occupied Arab
Territories (September 25, 2009) [ The Goldstone Report].
169. The 2014 Gaza Conflict: Factual and Legal Aspects: Executive Summary
(May, 2015).
170. Report of the Middle East Quartet (July 1, 2016).
171. Trump Administration Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel
(December 6, 2017).
172. Peace to Prosperity [ Trump Peace Plan] Overview, January
2020.
173. The Abraham Accords Declaration, September 15,
2020.
174. International Court of Justice, Legal Consequences Arising from the
Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,
Including East Jerusalem (July 19, 2024).
Gregory S. Mahler is Academic Dean Emeritus and Research Professor of Politics at Earlham College (Indiana). He received his BA from Oberlin College and his MA/PhD from Duke University. He is the author of over 30 books on comparative politics and the Middle East, including The Arab-Israeli Conflict (Routledge, 2024).
Mahdi F. Abdul Hadi (19442025) received his PhD from the School of Peace Studies at Bradford University, UK, in 1984. He was the founder and Chairman of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA) in Jerusalem, as well as the (co-)founder of many Palestinian institutions. In 2019, he became a member of the Islamic Waqf Council in Jerusalem. He authored and edited numerous publications on the Palestine question. He died following a short illness in January of 2025.
