Event Title

Sovereignty and National Identity In Regards To The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Presenter Information

Mohamed R. Seck, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Location

CSU 255

Start Date

27-4-2009 8:00 AM

End Date

27-4-2009 10:00 AM

Student's Major

Government

Student's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Mentor's Name

Kathryn J. Elliott

Mentor's Department

Anthropology

Mentor's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Description

Since Israel's establishment as an independent state in 1948, the social and political currents of Israel and Palestine have been a constant source of debate, and the borders of Israel and Palestine have been a cataclysmic junction in the Middle East. The societal conditions of both Palestinians and Israelis have sparked questions among social scientists, concerning both the major sources and the nuances of their conflict. The primary focus of this study is the role of national identity and sovereignty in the Palestinian- Israeli Conflict. Sovereignty is a term that describes the right of self-government for inhabitants of a specific territory. The Israeli Occupation has been the world's longest military occupation of the 21®^ century. Israel controls the borders in both the West Bank and Gaza. The Israeli Occupation has been met with much opposition by Palestinians. The occupation has segregated Israelis from Palestinians, and has been a catalyst for radical nationalist movements. This study was conducted to examine the widely held premise that the establishment of a truly sovereign Palestinian state is requisite for regional stability. Several methodologies were applied in this study. I was able to collect field notes in the West Bank and Israel proper, and to study both Israeli and Palestinian government offices and research facilities in the region. The study will also employ methodologies from several disciplines in the social sciences to support the claims that national identity and sovereignty are at the crux of the Conflict.