Lexicon

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Military coordination offices established in the West Bank and Gaza in 1994 that manage the movement of Palestinians, both within the occupied West Bank and into Israel. Palestinians holding Palestinian Authority IDs must apply for permits from the Israeli military to enter Israel or move between Areas A, B, and C of the West Bank. DCOs were established in each district of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with the Israeli military office on one side of each DCO compound and the Palestinian security forces on the other. Final approval on all permit decisions lies with the Israel authorities, the Palestinian side is effectively more of an administrative middleman that merely coordinates between the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian residents, on the one hand, and Israeli authorities, on the other. There are eight DCOs (also called DCLs): Abu Dis, al-Ram, Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jericho.

The English name for one of the seven open gates in the wall of the Old City of Jerusalem. See also Bab Haret al-Maghariba. 

See The Gates of the Old City for more detailed information and other names for this gate. 

A major Israeli settlement plan proposed for development east of Jerusalem that would block Palestinian development east of Jerusalem and close off the last remaining corridor between the city and West Bank Palestinian communities. Since the 1990s, the Israeli government has set out to develop this 12 sq km zone of unsettled lands originally belonging to Palestinian villages into a large industrial and commercial area, including the Israeli settlement Mevasseret Adumim, an airport, hotels, tourist attractions, and major roads. The plan, pursued by different Israeli administrations, has only been partially approved and completed due to international pressure. Mainly, an Israeli district police station was established in 2008.

The plan functions as part of the vision for “Greater Jerusalem,” which creates demographic, territorial, and transportational contiguity between Jewish settlements inside and outside the Israeli municipal boundary, while separating and suffocating Palestinian localities. The plan would solidify Israeli control over the corridor, linking the Ma‘ale Adumim settlement bloc to Israeli Jerusalem and the coastal city of Tel Aviv, while surrounding and isolating Palestinian villages in the eastern suburbs to whom the lands originally belong: a-Za‘ayim, al-‘Izariyya, Abu Dis, ‘Arab al-Jahalin, and ‘Anata. With Ma‘ale Adumim to their east and the Separation Wall to their west, these Palestinian localities are thus unable to grow. In addition, completion of the E1 plan would essentially break the occupied West Bank into two parts by blocking access between its southern and northern parts, as Jerusalem is mostly inaccessible to Palestinians with Palestinian Authority (PA) identity cards.

Refers to the region encompassing the Old City of Jerusalem and its eastern suburbs and hinterlands. The term was used to distinguish between this part of the city, which Israel occupied in June of 1967, and the western part, which Israel occupied and emptied of its Palestinian inhabitants in 1948. Shortly after occupation, Israel unilaterally expanded the borders of East Jerusalem, tripling it in size and adding 28 Palestinian villages, and then unilaterally extended its law, jurisdiction, and administration to the newly expanded area. International law and most countries of the world do not recognize this unilateral act as legal and consider that East Jerusalem remains under military occupation. Palestinians also consider that Israel is not the rightful sovereign over East Jerusalem and consider it as the capital for a future Palestinian state. The reality today, however, is that both West and East Jerusalem are controlled by the Israeli government and are mostly under the jurisdiction of the Israeli Jerusalem municipality. Since 1967, the government has also invested considerable effort and resources into changing the demographic makeup of East Jerusalem by funding and facilitating Jewish settlement there.

One of two major Islamic holidays, the other being Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Adha translates to the “festival of sacrifice.” This celebration falls during the Islamic lunar month of Dhu al-Hijja, in which the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca occurs. The festival lasts for about three to four days. Eid al-Adha commemorates the willingness of the prophet Abraham when facing the trial of sacrificing his son Ishmael in obedience to God’s command. However, God honored both Abraham and Ishmael and, thus, before the sacrifice could be carried out, provided a ram to be sacrificed instead.

The first day of this holiday begins with a special early morning prayer service held in large congregations, often in open fields or large mosques. In honor of Abraham, Muslims who can afford to do so will sacrifice an animal, such as a sheep, goat, cow, or camel. The meat from the sacrifice is then distributed among family, friends, and those in need. Eid al-Adha is also a time for family gatherings, festive meals, and gift-giving.

An Islamic festival of celebration marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, which requires daily fasting. Eid al-Fitr translates to “the festival of breaking fast.” This celebration is one of two official holidays celebrated within the Islamic faith and falls on the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic lunar (Hijri) calendar. In some Muslim countries, Eid al-Fitr is also a public holiday. In the early hours of the first day of Eid al-Fitr, Muslims flock to dedicated outdoor areas for a specific Eid prayer, which must be performed in congregation and led by an imam. It is forbidden to fast on the first day of Eid al-Fitr. During this religious holiday, young Muslims are often gifted money from various family members. Sweets are also made and distributed specifically for this holiday, typically ma‘moul and ka‘ek, two buttery pastries made with semolina flour, walnuts, and dates.

A settler association, also known as Ir David Foundation (its name in Hebrew is El Ir David, or To the City of David) or just Elad, established in 1986 to support archaeological sites and settlements around Jerusalem’s holy sites, including the City of David site in the Palestinian neighborhood of Wadi Hilweh, Silwan. Its stated mission is to “house Jewish families in the City of David” and “strengthen the Jewish connection to Jerusalem.” It is believed to be one of the strongest and wealthiest organizations in Israel. Its funders include the United Israel Appeal (Keren Hayesod), the Jewish Agency, and some chapters of Friends of the IDF. Elad began by appropriating Palestinian properties in Jerusalem with the support of Israeli official entities, expelling their Palestinian residents, and transferring the properties to Jewish Israeli settlers. More recently, it was granted control by the Israeli government of several historical and archaeological sites, pursuing an ideological narrative about ancient Jewish presence in these sensitive locations. Although its activities began in Silwan, it has expanded its efforts to many other Palestinian neighborhoods, including Jabal Mukabbir, al-Tur, Ras al-Amud, and al-Suwana.

A geopolitical term that refers to the process through which Israel imposed de facto control over territories occupied in 1967 despite international pressure by means of unilaterally introducing new and seemingly unalterable demographic, territorial, and cultural realities. In particular, creating “facts on the ground” refers to the establishment of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip.

The first of the five daily obligatory prayers in Islam. Fajr (dawn) prayer is performed by Muslims before the break of dawn. It consists of two rak‘as (full cycles of prostrations) and is performed before the first light of dawn appears in the sky.

“Family unification” (sometimes called lem shaml in Arabic) refers to the process that Palestinians who have legal status in Israel, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), or the Gaza Strip undergo to apply for legal status for immediate family members who do not have this status. Once obtained, that status then allows the spouse or child to live legally within the Israeli municipal borders of Jerusalem with the other family member or members who hold legal status.

“Family reunification” or “family reunion” are terms used by international bodies and organizations. These terms are defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as the “process of bringing together family members, particularly children, spouses and elderly dependents.” In the Israeli system, while family reunification was the original term used, this has more commonly come to be referred to as family unification today.

A Palestinian political faction formed in 1959 that, one decade later, became the most important faction in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the representative body of the Palestinian people. (The word “fatah,” which means to conquer, is the reverse acronym of harakat al-tahrir al-filastiniyya, Palestinian Liberation Movement.) Fatah was the first national group to be started by Palestinians after the Nakba in 1948, when many were made refugees. It grew out of a clandestine student organization that included Yasser Arafat and Khalil al-Wazir, among others, and advocated armed struggle to liberate all of Palestine, and independence from Arab governments. It claimed that the liberation of Palestine was the road to Arab unity. Initially, Fatah advocated a three-phase strategy that was inspired by the Algerian, Cuban, and other revolutionary models: small-scale guerrilla activity followed by all-out guerrilla warfare, and then a people’s war. In the early 1960s, it carried out paramilitary operations against Israel.

By 1969, under Arafat’s leadership, Fatah had taken control of the PLO. After the 1973 War, it shifted toward a phased approach, and by 1988, the Fatah leadership was instrumental in persuading the PLO’s parliament, the Palestinian National Council (PNC), to adopt a “peace initiative” based on a Declaration of Independence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, leading to US-led talks. The Fatah-led PLO found itself in a very weakened position after the first Gulf War in 1991; because it had not condemned Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait, it suffered profound political and financial consequences. In this weakened state, the PLO accepted US and Israeli conditions for the Madrid Conference and the Oslo Accords, the latter of which led to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1994. Based now in the occupied Palestinian Territories (oPT), the Fatah movement has lost ground, in part because voters associate Fatah with PA inefficiency and corruption. Hamas soundly defeated Fatah in the 2006 legislative elections. Since then, the two factions have been at loggerheads, unable to work together effectively. The result has been the establishment of separate authorities in the West Bank (headquartered in Ramallah and controlled by Fatah) and the Gaza Strip (controlled by Hamas).

Plural of the Arabic word fedayee, meaning “one who sacrifices,” this term traditionally refers to guerrilla fighters involved in armed resistance, often driven by ideological or nationalist motives. The term has been applied in various contexts throughout the Middle East and North Africa, particularly in reference to Palestinian and other Arab resistance movements. 

In the context of Palestinian history of the 21st century, fedayeen specifically referred to Palestinian guerrillas who carried out attacks and raids against Israel, especially during the 1950s and 1960s, frequently operating from bases in neighboring countries like Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt. 

More broadly, the term describes militants who are willing to give their lives for a cause, typically engaging in acts of sabotage. 

Arabic word for peasants or agricultural laborers in an Arab country (singular: fellah)

The Palestinian uprising (intifada is Arabic for shaking off) against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip that erupted in December 1987 and included many forms of civil disobedience, such as massive demonstrations, general strikes, barricades, refusal to pay taxes, boycotts of Israeli products, graffiti, and underground ‘‘freedom schools.’’ By the time the First Intifada ended (in September 1993, with the signing of the first Oslo Accord), about 1,500 Palestinians had been killed across the country by Israeli soldiers and civilians (including East Jerusalem), tens of thousands had been injured, and 175,000 imprisoned. During this period, Israel had the highest per capita prison population in the world.

A random, temporary, and unannounced makeshift roadblock thrown up without advance notice by the Israeli military. Typically in Palestinian areas and affecting Palestinian mobility.

An interministerial committee established in 1972 to examine the rate of development in Jerusalem. The committee was headed by the chief of the finance ministry’s budgets department, Arnon Gafni. It determined that Israeli authorities must maintain the existing demographic balance of 73.5 percent Jews and 26.5 percent Palestinians in order to keep hold of a Jewish majority in the city.

One of the English names for an eighth, ancient gate in the wall of the Old City of Jerusalem that has been closed since the 16th century. See also Bab al-Dhahabi, Bab al-Rahma, Golden Gate.

See The Gates of the Old City for more detailed information and other names for this gate. 

The executing agreement of Oslo I, signed in May 1994 by Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and also called the Cairo Agreement. As part of the implementation of the 1993 Oslo Accords between the PLO and Israel, the Israeli military withdrew from Gaza and Jericho, while PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and other officials returned from exile in Tunisia and formed the Palestinian Authority (PA). The Paris Protocol was part of the Cairo Agreement, establishing the basis for economic relations between the PA and Israel. The protocol remains in force today and essentially subordinates the Palestinian economy to Israel’s, preventing Palestinians from collecting VAT and import taxes or creating their own currency. The Gaza-Jericho Agreement was superseded in September 1995 by the Oslo II Agreement.

The Israeli state body that is responsible for managing or overseeing assets that allegedly belonged to Jews prior to 1948, until they are “reclaimed” (i.e., given over to Jewish ownership).  Established in 1948; part of the Justice Ministry.