Tikvah
Editors’ Pick

October 11, 2017

The Idea of “Occupation” Has Become a Weapon in the Hands of the Palestinians

And a central tenet of their national identity.

For Palestinian leaders, mere mention of “the occupation” is used not only to justify anti-Israel violence but as an excuse for all manner of internal ills. For them, the term refers to the situation both of Gaza (from which Israel withdrew completely over a decade ago) and of those parts of the West Bank under the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Asaf Romirowsky explains:

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