Learn

A starting point for understanding Palestine, Zionism, and the struggle for equal rights. We aim to be accurate, to cite our sources, and to point you toward a range of serious historians and human rights organizations so you can read further and reach your own conclusions.

Key terms

  • Zionism. A political movement that emerged in late 19th-century Europe seeking a Jewish national homeland in historic Palestine. It led to the founding of the State of Israel in 1948.
  • Anti-Zionism. Opposition to Zionism as a state project, typically in favor of equal rights for everyone living in Israel-Palestine. See our explainer on anti-Zionism and antisemitism.
  • The Nakba. Arabic for "catastrophe." Refers to the displacement of roughly 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes during the 1947-49 war, and who were not allowed to return.
  • Occupation. Israel has occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza since the 1967 war. In 2024, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion finding Israel's continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful.
  • Settlements. Israeli civilian communities built in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Most of the international community considers them illegal under international law.
  • Gaza blockade. Israel withdrew its settlers from Gaza in 2005. Since 2007, Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade restricting the movement of people and goods in and out of the territory.

Recommended reading

  • Rashid Khalidi, The Hundred Years' War on Palestine (2020)
  • Edward Said, The Question of Palestine (1979)
  • Ilan PappĂ©, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (2006)
  • Benny Morris, The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited (2004)

Human rights reports

Have a source you think we should add, or a correction to suggest? Get in touch.