The Failure of Peace Processes in the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: the Clash of Arab Nationalism and Zionism
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THE FAILURE OF PEACE PROCESSES IN THE PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI CONFLICT: THE CLASH OF ARAB NATIONALISM AND ZIONISM A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY İPEK DEM İREL IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST STUDIES DECEMBER 2006 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Sencer Ayata Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assist. Prof. Dr. Aykan Erdemir (METU,SOC) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur (METU,HIST) Assist. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Şen (METU,SOC) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name : İpek Demirel Signature : iii ABSTRACT THE FAILURE OF PEACE PROCESSES IN THE PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI CONFLICT: THE CLASH OF ARAB NATIONALISM AND ZIONISM Demirel, İpek MA, Department of Middle East Studies Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur December 2006, 157 pages This thesis aims at analyzing the reasons for the insoluble nature of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The reasons behind the continuation of the conflict are various. However, this thesis mainly concentrated on the ones stemmed from the clash of Arab nationalism and Zionism. This clash basically represents the failure of both sides in making any concession from their territorial attachments which resulted from Arab nationalism and Zionism. Though both nationalisms were constructed on the same founding factors such as religion, territory and culture, Arab nationalists and Zionists gained different positions during the conflict. These positions determined the future of all of the peace processes in the near past. All peace processes that had focused on the solution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict displayed that any formulation for a last settlement to the conflict should take into consideration the inability of the parties to agree on a territorial compromise and the adoption by both sides of the continuation of the conflict as a political instrument. Keywords: Territorial nationalism, Arab Nationalism, Zionism, Continuation of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, Territorial Compromise. iv ÖZ FİLİST İN-İSRA İL ÇATI ŞMASINDA TÜM BARI Ş SÜREÇLER İNİN BA ŞARISIZLI ĞI: ARAP M İLL İYETÇ İLİĞİ VE S İYON İZM ARASINDAK İ UYU ŞMAZLIK Demirel, İpek Yüksek Lisans, Ortado ğu Çalı şmaları Tez Yöneticisi: Doç. Dr. Recep Boztemur Aralık 2006, 157 sayfa Bu tez, Filistin-İsrail çatı şmasının çözülemeyen karakterini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çatı şmanın devamlılı ğının arkasında birçok neden yatmaktadır. Ancak bu tez esas olarak Arap milliyetçili ği ve Siyonizm arasındaki uyu şmazlıktan kaynaklanan sebeplere odaklanmı ştır. Bu uyu şmazlık, temel olarak çatı şmanın taraflarının, Arap milliyetçili ği ve Siyonizm’den kaynaklanan topra ğa ba ğlılıklarından herhangi bir ödün vermek konusundaki ba şarısızlıklarını temsil etmektedir. Her iki milliyetçilik de din, toprak ve kültür gibi benzer kurucu unsurlar üzerine in şa edilmi ş olsalar da, Arap milliyetçileri ve Siyonistler çatı şma boyunca farklı konumlar elde etmi şlerdir. Bu konumlar, yakın geçmi şteki tüm barı ş süreçlerinin gelece ğini etkilemi ştir. Filistin-İsrail çatı şmasını çözmeye odaklanmı ş tüm barı ş süreçleri göstermi ştir ki; çatı şmaya kalıcı bir çözüm getirecek herhangi bir düzenleme, tarafların toprak konusundaki uyu şmazlı ğını ve çatı şmanın devamlılı ğını bir siyasi araç olarak benimsemi ş olmalarını dikkate almalıdır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Toprak milliyetçili ği, Arap Milliyetçili ği, Siyonizm, Çatıçmanın Devamlılı ğı, Topra ğa İli şkin Uzla şma. v To Sadık DEM İREL, Melek DEM İREL, Emre DEM İREL and CAN YOLDA Ş vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Recep Boztemur for his guidance throughout the research. His kind support to my research question encouraged me in confronting all the challenges while I was writing my thesis. I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to Assist. Prof. Dr. Aykan Erdemir for his great contribution to my vision on academic writing. With his help, my thesis reached at a level that made me feel satisfied and proud. I sincerely thank him for his attention to time and details. His polite attitude helped me feel confident while expressing myself. I learned from him that writing short but meaningful is of great importance. I should also thank Assist Prof. Dr. Nesim Şeker for his friendly attitude and contructive criticisms to my thesis. I overcame the most difficult time by his suggestion to me that I should think in a simple way. I also would like to thank Assist. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Şen for his sincere attitude and final suggestions and comments to my thesis. I would like to express endless thanks to my friends for their friendship, patience and positive energy: Oya Gözel, Özden Erdo ğan and Agah Hazır. Without the coffee breaks when they patiently listened to me, it would be impossible for me to finish this thesis. Finally, I would like to thank Can Yolda ş for his great support in every second of my effort while writing this thesis though thanking him is not sufficient. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM ..................................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................... iv ÖZ ...................................................................................................................................... v DEDICATION.................................................................................................................. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................vii TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................... 1 1.1. THE CONTEXT OF THE THESIS .................................................................... 1 1.2. METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................. 6 1.3. LIMITATIONS ................................................................................................... 8 1.4. CHAPTERS....................................................................................................... 10 2. THE JEWISH AND ARAB NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION IN TERMS OF TERRITORIAL NATIONALISM ............................................................................ 13 2.1. GENERAL ASSESMENT OF NATION, NATIONALISM AND TERRITORIALITY .......................................................................................... 13 2.2. THE MEANING OF NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION FOR THE ARABS AND THE JEWS IN TERMS OF TERRITORIALITY ................................... 16 3. ARAB NATIONALISM ........................................................................................... 23 3.1. THE EVALUATION OF ARAB NATIONALISM AS TO THE FOUNDING FACTORS OF THE ARAB NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION……………………..………………………....................... 24 3.1.1. Religion……………………..………………...……..…..................... ..24 3.1.2. Language and Cultural Arabism....................................... ..................... 27 3.1.3. Territory............................................................................ ..................... 29 viii 3.1.4. The Western Influence and the Reaction of the Arab World: Islamic Reformism & Islamism......................................................................... .....31 3.1.5. From Ottomanism to Arabism......................................... ...................... 36 4. ZIONISM .................................................................................................................. 41 4.1. THE ASSESSMENT OF ZIONISM ACCORDING TO THE FOUNDING FACTORS OF NATIONALISM ...................................................................... 41 4.1.1. Religion.................................................................................................. 42 4.1.2. Territory................................................................................................. 48 4.1.3. Culture and Language............................................................................ 54 5. THE CLASH OF ZIONISM AND ARAB NATIONALISM OVER PALESTINE. 58 5.1. IMMIGRATION ............................................................................................... 60 5.2. THE DEVELOPMENT OF ZIONIST IDEA.................................................... 66 5.3. THE MANDATE PERIOD ............................................................................... 69 5.4. POLITICAL FACTIONS.................................................................................. 78 5.4.1. POLITICAL PARTIES AND ZIONISM .............................................. 79 5.4.2. POLITICAL FACTIONS AMONG THE PALESTINIAN