Peace, a Condition for Israel's Security

The current study examines the conceptual framework of what Israel calls 'Israel's national security'. Using short interviews with Israelis and citing statements made by Israeli leaders, the study found first that Israelis are raised to embrace a bunker mentality where people always feel they are subject to constant threat; and second that Israel understands security only in terms of power, with the ultimate goal of bringing the Palestinians/Arabs under its dominance. The study argues that this theory has never brought security to Israel and it is unlikely to achieve this goal in the future. The study concludes that it is only through an all-out, just peace that Israel can feel secure, thrive and establish a favorable climate for the generations to come.Keywords: Peace, Security, Bunker Mentality, Zionism, Middle East Conflict

Language and Palestinian Identity

In cultural studies, using your own dialect in communication means that you belong to the culture of that dialect, and that you are not compromising any association of that culture, particularly your identity. This paper seeks to study the limits of the relationship between Palestinian dialect and identity. In many cases, especially when the nation doesn't have its own state, it is very important that the people find a unifying power. Palestinians in Jordan are citizens of that country; some of them dream of returning home, and thus they are still proud of their national dialect; others speak the Jordanian dialect, and this raises a multitude of questions. Through a sample stratified on the basis of gender, age and level of educational attainment, the paper found that the percentage of those who used the Jordanian dialect was substantial, and from a linguistic point of view, symbolic and significant. Assuming that external factors are irrelevant, the findings suggest that those who relinquished their Palestinian dialect might have compromised their true national identity.Keywords: Dialect, National Identity, Affiliation, Culture, Right of Return