Journal of Palestinian Studies --

Any topic worth studying is worth studying well. And any topic worth studying well certainly deserves its very own dedicated journal, right? So let us look at the Journal of Palestinian Studies. The first issue was released in 1971. Quite coincidentally, that is when higher education started blossoming in the disputed lands that were later to be declared the Palestinian Authority by the Oslo Accords. Keeping context in mind, you may notice that 1970 was three years after Israel re-captured this land from the belligerent Arabs who attacked on all fronts in 1967. That means that until 1967, the land that became the Palestinian Authority was under Jordanian occupation (Judea & Samaria, J&S) and Egyptian occupation (Gaza). Neither Jordan nor Egypt did anything to promote higher education (or higher much of anything else) in the occupied territories. Then along comes Israel and begins to promote educational development, among other things. Kind of ironic given that it is Israel that is being accused of squashing the freedom of academia in the PA! Anyway, putting political history aside, let us look at the journal. Who are the authors publishing in it? What kinds of material gets published? I decided to get a taste of the journal by examining the first issue of each decade -- 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001, 2011 -- looking at article titles and authors. What can that teach us?

1971 -- Volume of the Journal of Palestinian Studies

Here is a list of the articles and their authors:

Mohammed Hassanein Heykal Discusses War and Peace in the Middle East. This is an interview by Edumund Ghareeb Israel's Nuclear Options, by Fuad A. Jabber The Middle East Conflict in US Strategy, 1970-1971, by William B. Quandt Recent Knesset Legislation and the Arabs in Israel, by Sabri Jiryis The Fall of Jerusalem, 1967, by S. Abdullah Schleifer Social Factors Influencing Attitudes of University Students in Lebanon towards the Palestinian Resistance Movement, by Halim Barakat

This is followed a number of book reviews:

Heaven at Bay, The Jewish Kulturkampf in the Holy Land, by Emile Marmorstein - about Zionism and Judaism Zickronot (Memoirs), by Ben Gurion From Heaven to Conquest, Readings in Zionism and the Palestine Problem until 1948, by Walid Khalidi, an anthology asking how it was possible to invade an inhabited country and expel the natives Middle East Record, Vol III - account of international relations affecting the Middle East Der Nahostkrief in der westdeutschen Press - Palestine in the West German Press Two books: Le Sionisme contre Israel and Histoire de la Palestine