Lexicon

The Muslim practice of secluding oneself in the mosque for any select period as a means of becoming closer to God, deepening worship, and abstaining from worldly affairs. The Arabic root of the term i‘tikaf literally means “to adhere, cling, stick, keep.” This spiritual retreat was practiced by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad for the last 10 days of every Ramadan, believed by Muslims to be a particularly potent time for prayer, reflection, and devotion, as God shows great mercy and kindness during this period. 

Refers to the meal that breaks Muslims’ fasts during the holy month of Ramadan. It is considered the second meal of the day, following suhur, the meal before dawn (fajr) prayer, which marks the beginning of the fast. Iftar is observed following the sunset (maghrib) call to prayer. Muslims break their fast with dates in emulation of the manner by which the Prophet Muhammad broke his fast, though this practice is not mandatory. Iftar meals are also considered an important pillar of community building, as this meal is often shared with friends and family. It is also common practice to provide iftar meals for those who are less fortunate and is seen as an act of charity. While the month of Ramadan is considered a time of self-introspection and improvement, charity, religious devotion, and worship, there is also great emphasis on empathy with the less fortunate through the sensations of hunger, thirst, and deprivation. 

In Islam, a religious community leader. The imam’s main responsibility is to lead prayers and deliver sermons on Fridays. “Imam” in Arabic means “to stand in front of.” Generally, an imam is chosen by the community and will be a respected community member. The imam may also offer counseling, mentor youth, and play other community roles. During prayer, the imam, who stands at the front of the prayer lines, faces Mecca, the holiest site in Islam. 

Settlement belt in East Jerusalem within the expanded Israeli municipal boundaries. It is made up of state-authorized settlement neighborhoods built on confiscated Palestinian land. Surrounding the Core Ring of settlements in and around the Old City, the Inner Ring is connected through an infrastructure of roads and tunnels, and extends from the southeastern settlement of Gilo, north of Bethlehem, all the way to the northern industrial settlement of Atarot, south of Ramallah.

See City of David.

An underground paramilitary Zionist group that operated in Palestine during the British Mandate period. (The name is Hebrew for “organization.”) It was established in 1931 by dissident Haganah members. The British considered it a terrorist organization; the dominant Labor Zionist movement considered it a radical rival, and in 1936, it became an instrument of the Revisionist Party, an extreme nationalist party. It was responsible for about 60 terror attacks targeting both British Mandate officials and Palestinian communities.

In 1941, the Irgun split into two groups: one became known as the Lehi or Stern Gang and regarded the British as the main enemy, and the other was closely allied to the Revisionist Party and regarded the Palestinians as the main enemy. The latter also organized illegal Jewish immigration into Palestine. Its members were executed by the British, and it in turn executed British army hostages. In 1946, the Irgun bombed the King David Hotel, which served as a British administrative command post, killing some 91 soldiers and civilians. Two years later, its members participated in the April 1948 massacre at the Palestinian village of Deir Yasin, just outside Jerusalem. By September 1948, the Irgun was dismantled and subsumed by the Israeli army. One of its leaders, Menachem Begin, later became prime minister of Israel. The Irgun was the precursor of the Herut Party, one of Israel’s most militant right-wing factions.

The last of the five obligatory daily prayers in Islam. ‘Isha (evening) prayer is performed after complete darkness in the sky has set in, which is usually around one and a half to two hours after sunset. The prayer consists of four rak‘as (full cycles of prostrations) and is a time for practicing Muslims to reflect on their day, seek forgiveness, and become closer to God before going to sleep.

Refers to the diverse religious trends in the Muslim world that want to reorganize society with reference to Islam

A Palestinian resistance movement and paramilitary organization (Harakat al-Jihad al-Islami fi Filastin) founded in 1981 by Palestinian students in Egypt as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood that aims to establish a sovereign Islamic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine. 

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) advocates the use of armed campaigns for the liberation of Palestine, launching its first military attack in 1984. Its active armed wing is called Al-Quds Brigades, also known as “Saraya.” It allies closely with Iran. Unlike the far larger movement Hamas, PIJ rejects the political process, refusing to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority (PA), participate in Palestinian elections, or engage in any peace talks. At first, PIJ operated in the Gaza Strip, but eventually spread to the West Bank as well, with particular concentration in the cities of Hebron and Jenin. It also has leadership in Lebanon and Syria. It saw a particular surge in activity following the outbreak of the Second Intifada. Its operations have been among the deadliest for Israel, and many of its leaders have been targeted for assassination. 

Israel Security Agency, known in Hebrew as Sherut Ha Bitachon Ha Klali (abbreviated as Shabak or Shin Bet), is the Israeli counterintelligence and internal security service, one of three secret services established in 1948.

A 1972 Israeli law establishing rights and responsibilities for landlords and protections for tenants, namely, that the landlord provides habitable conditions, including functional utilities, ventilation, and secure property features, and the tenants (citizens and permanent residents) are protected from rent increases and expulsion. The law was derived from a Colonial British Mandate-era law and first passed in Israel in 1954. The protection this legislation affords is inherited, meaning that the heirs of the tenants have the right to remain in the property for life, while paying the same rent. Many Palestinians in Jerusalem have protected tenancy status dating from before Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967. The 1972 law should, in theory, have continued to afford Palestinians these protections, including against forced expulsion. Many such properties exist in East Jerusalem, particularly in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan. Some were Jewish owned before 1948, placed under Jordanian custodianship after the Nakba, and then rented to Palestinians. After 1967, Israeli law restored ownership rights to the properties’ pre-1948 Jewish owners or their heirs, while this law—generally intended to protect Jewish tenants—prevents the owners from expelling the Palestinian tenants. In many cases, Jewish settler organizations have bought the ownership rights from the original owners or heirs and then used the courts to expel protected Palestinian tenants; for example, by using the subsequently enacted Third Generation Law. Today, given the many protections afforded by this older law, most Israeli leases specify that the Protected Tenant Law does not apply.