Middle East Encyclopedia

People:

Omar Khayyam

Averroes (Avicenna)

Ibn Khaldun

Gamal Abdul Nasser

Nuri As-Said

David Ben Gurion

Baath Party

Rafiq Hariri

Yasser Arafat

Hajj Amin El Husseini

‘Urf (Arabic)- Common law, as opposes to national law.

Aliyah Beth
Mossad
Stern Gang
Palestinian Women's Movement

Middle East - Term coined by Mahan.

Land Tenure terms

rivate land, mulk: right of full ownership and alienation, as well as right to the usufruct of the land.

State land, miri: suitable for agricultural use where the ultimate owner is the state but the usufruct belongs, in most cases, to individuals. The codification of miri land in Ottoman times was often read as an attempt to centralize power against the large landlords and tribal groups by establishing individual rights for a large number of small individual cultivators.

Public land, waqf: reserved and immobilized, for some public (e.g. charitable) purpose, and usually leased, as it was in the past.

So-called “dead”, unreclaimed land, mawat: mainly used for grazing under common property regimes, and often a grey area with political undertones. Occasionally, individuals or tribal groups try to obtain title with varying results.

http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/Y8999T/y8999t0f.htm

Mulk  - privately owned land, including right of full ownership, sale and gift, and right to the usufruct of the land.

Miri - suitable for agricultural use where the actual owner is the state but the usufruct may belong to individuals under lease. The registration of Miri land under the Ottoman Tanzimat was often read as an attempt to centralize power against the large landlords and tribal groups by establishing individual rights for a large number of small individual cultivators.
 

Miri used for farming was often given in concession. The concession or lease  eventually became hereditary and was divided up according to Islamic inheritance laws. Occupation rights are inheritable both for the concession holder and for the cultivating tenants, so that according to ‘Urf (common) law, tenants may also transmit occupancy by sale and by inheritance. However, throughout history assigned land could in principle be confiscated and returned to the ruler (crown or state).

Share tenancy was the most common system of land operation during Ottoman times and is still important today on both mulk and miri landholdings. However, share tenancy has been recognized as one of the main deficiencies of the Ottoman code, as it contained no provisions to guarantee the security of the share tenant. This situation continued in the systems that replaced the Ottoman rule in the twentieth century, with little attention being paid to relations between landlords and tenants.

Tanzimat - Ottoman Turkish administrative reform (reorganization) begun in 1858?.

Waqf - 1. The Muslim religious endowment. 2 - Refers to land belonging to the Muslim religious endowment.

Matruka - Public land.
Mewat - Dead land, usually arid desert such as the Negev or Rum.
Social class

Fellah Fellahin
notables
effendi
Settlement
Moshav

Measurement of Time

Islamic and Hebrew Calenders
Definition of day

Names
Prefixes like Abu and Um when referring to individuals.

Query. Typo in second sentence here?
Suffism - Mystical and ascetic branch of Sunni Islam. Devotees are nearly all Sufis are men

Note - More information about Middle Eastern holidays and religious terms is given in our Holidays pages. More about Palestinian organizations and political parties is given in the Palestinian Parties page.

An expanded dictionary and glossary of Zionism and Jewish and Israel related terms:  "Encyclopedic Dictionary of Zionism, Israel and the Arab-Israeli Conflict at Zionism and Israel Information Center  No Frames version of Zionism and Israel Dictionary

A.H. 

Adhan  - (Arabic)  The call for the daily prayers.. The person who calls the Adhan is called a Mu'adhin (or Muezzin). A Mu'adhin calls the Adhan five times a day before Muslims are to perform their daily Salah (Prayer). The Adhan is composed of specific words and phrases to be recited loudly in the Arabic language so that the neighbors can recognize the time schedule for the prayers: There is no God but Allah, Muhamed is the Messenger of Allah.

Ahzab - (Arabic) "Parties;" the different tribes that fought the Muslims in the Battle of the Ditch in 627.

Al Andalus - The Arabic name for Spain. Spain was the farthest extent of the Arabic Islamic empire, after the first Muslim expansion was stopped by their defeat by Charles Martel at the battle of Tours in 754. Al Andalus, and other former Muslim conquests are considered by radical Islamists to be Islamic lands lost to the infidels.

Al ar-ra'y - (Arabic)  "People of opinion;" learned people consulted on Islamic matters.

Al-asharatu mubashshirun - (Arabic)  The ten people that were given the glad tiddngs of assurance of entering Paradise. They were Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Abdur Rahman ibn Awf, Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, Talhah ibn Ubaydullah, az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Sa'id ibn Zayd.

Al-Sa'iqa - "The Storm." Palestinian armed group created by Syrian Ba'athist party in 1966.

Al-Qaeada (or Al-Qaiada) - Radical Islamist terror network organized by Osama Bin Laden.

Al-Quds - (Arabic) "The holy;" Jerusalem.

Alawi - (Arabic) A sect of Shi'ite Muslims in Syria.

'Aliyah - "Going Up;" refers to immigration to Israel or Palestine.

Allah - (Arabic) God.

Altalena - Ship carrying ammunition from France to Israel in June, 1948 under the command of the Etzel (Irgun) and in direct challenge to authority of the IDF and the Israeli government. The weapons were to be used to maintain the Irgun as a fighting force separate from the IDF. Some believe that the revisionists were planning a coup d'etat that would overthrow the government of David Ben Ben-Gurion. The Altalena. was destroyed by the IDF in Tel Aviv Harbor, killing 21 on board.

Ansar - (Arabic)  "Helpers;" the people of Medinah who responded to the Prophet's call to Islam and offered Islam a city-state power.

Arab Higher Committee - Group established in 1945 by Arab League. The AHC represented Palestinian Arab interests, rejecting all compromise on rights of Jews in Palestine.

Arab League -  the League of Arab States, a voluntary association of independent countries whose peoples are mainly Arabic speaking. Its stated purposes are to strengthen ties among the member states, coordinate their policies, and promote their common interests. Founded in 1945 in Cairo to lobby for greater independence for Arab British protectorates, and to prevent Jewish control of Palestine. 

Arafat - (Arabic) A plain north of Mecca, where the dead will be raised on judgment day.

Asr - (Arabic) The obligatory prayer of late afternoon.

Ba'ath  (Ba'th, Ba'ath) -  Pan Arab party with extreme Arab nationalist leanings founded in 1940's in Syria by a Michel Aflaq and SalahEdin Bitar. Both Syria and Iraq are ruled by Ba'athist regimes, but the regimes are rivals.  Lebanese Ba'ath party split from the Syrian party in 1966 and moved to Iraq in 1968.

Baha'i - Universalistic religion founded about 150 years ago by the Baha'u'llah in Iran. It is distinct from Muslim and Christianity. It is a progressive religion that promotes world peace, universal human rights and economic development. The Bahai have a world temple in Haifa Israel, and Israel is a center of Baha'i worship owing to imprisonment of the Baha'u'llah in Acco prison in 1868.

Betar - Zionist revisionist youth movement established 1923, emphasizing Hebrew language, culture, and self-defense. Motivated by ideologies of Jabotinsky and Trumpeldor, with goal of Jewish state "on both sides of the Jordan." The name is an acronym for "Brit Trumpeldor," (Covenant of Trumpeldor, a hero who died defending the settlement of Tel Hai) also after ancient fortress of Bar Kochba.

BILU - ( 1882 ) Student proto-Zionist organization for immigration to Israel. Founded settlements in the center of Israel. Name consists of initials of the words in verse in Isaiah II:5, "House of Jacob, come, let us go up."

Blood Libel - False accusation that Jews prepare Passover Mazoth (unleavened bread) from the blood of Christian or gentile children. The Blood Libel was primarily a phenomenon of Christian anti-Semitism, but spread to the Middle East as early as 1775, when there was a blood libel in Hebron. A second blood libel occurred in Damascus in 1840. Blood libels in the both the West and the East were generally occasions for large-scale persecution of Jews. A book by Mustapha Tlass, former Syrian defense minister, recent newspaper articles in Egyptian newspapers and a recent Egyptian movie all attest to the blood libel as if it is true.

Bnei Akiva - Religious socialist Zionist youth movement, founded 1929, emphasizing the religious importance of life and work in Israel. Motto: "Torah v'avodah," "Torah and work [in Israel.]." Bnei Akiva spawned the National Religious Party.

Burqa - Long garment covering the entire body worn by extremely religious Muslim women.

Copt - The Coptic church is an offshoot of the ancient Egyptian Christian church, one of the oldest Christian churches. In 451 the Copts split  from the Catholic church after the Council of Chalcedon, following the Monophysite ("one nature") doctrine of the nature of Christ. The Coptic church is the by far largest Christian group in both East as well as North Africa/Middle East, with over ten million adherents. The name "Copt" (gupt in Arabic) is derived from Ayguptos - the Greek word for Egypt.

Dar-il Harb - (Arabic) "The house of war;" the part of the world not subject to Islamic rule.

Dar-il-Islam - (Arabic) The house of Islam;" the part of the world subject to Islamic rule.

Dhimmi - (Arabic)  Christian, Jew or Zoroastrian living in a Muslim state. Dhimmi are supposed to wear special dress and pay the jizyah tax. They are exempt (or forbidden) from fighting and from paying the Muslim Zakah tax.

DFLP - Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (Damascus - led by   Nayif Hawatmah ) Palestinian Marxist radical movement. DFLP was founded in 1969 when it split from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Believes Palestinian national goals can be achieved only through revolution of the masses. In early 1980s, occupied political stance midway between PLO and the rejectionists.

DOP - Declaration of Principles of the Oslo Agreements that formed the basis for the Oslo peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.

Druze - A religion that broke away from Islam about 1000 CE following the teachings of Darazi, Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad and Baha El-Din. Druze call themselves Mowahhidoon (plural) or Mowahhid (singular) which means "monotheistic." The religion is officially secret, and they do not proselytize. They believe in reincarnation and in abstract concepts of heaven and hell. They have few holidays, but celebrate the granting of the Qur'an to Mohammed (Muslim Ramadan),  Druze are loyal citizens of whatever state they live in. Large Druze minorities live in Israel, Syria and Lebanon.

Eid - (Arabic) Any Muslim festival.

Eretz Yisrael Hashleimah - (Hebrew). "The Whole Land of Israel." An Israeli extremist ideology that believes Israel should expand to take up all of the "historic" land of Israel, sometimes viewed as all of Palestine West of the Jordan river, sometimes including all the land of the original Palestine Mandate, including Transjordan, and sometimes including all of Israel as promised by God and never fulfilled - from Homs in Syria in the North and from the Euphrates River in Iraq to the Mediterranean.

Etzel - (Hebrew) Acronym for "Irgun Tzva'i Leumi" - National Military Organization; Dissident (revisionist) Zionist terrorist group founded in reaction to Arab riots. Etzel conducted a number of terror operations against the British, alone or in cooperation with Lehi, as well as brutal bombings of Arab civilians.

Fajr - (Arabic) Dawn; the dawn prayer in Islam.

Faqih -  (Arabic) An expert in Islamic jurisprudence.

Fatah - (or Al-Fatah) Palestinian radical movement founded approximately 1957, but officially founded about 1965. It has the declared aim of destroying Israel and replacing it with a secular democratic state. Fatah means victory in Arabic. The name is also a reverse acronym for Harakat Tahrir el Wataniyeha Filistiniyeh - Palestine Liberation Movement. Fatah is the party of PNA chairman Yasser Arafat, and represents the moderate end of the Palestinian political spectrum. Their slogan is "Revolution until Victory."

Fatah Revolutionary Council - Organization led by Sabri al-Banna ("Abu Nidal") and hosted by Iraq. Split from PLO in 1974.

Fatwa - (Arabic) Islamic religious edict or proclamation.

Gush Emunim - (Hebrew) "Bloc of belief or Bloc of loyalties." Radical right-wing religious movement formed in 1974, that gained popularity after the 1967 war. Affiliated with the NRP.

'Habad - (Hebrew) - (or Chabad) - Non-Zionist followers of the Rabbi Shnierson in Brooklyn New York. Though non-Zionist, this sect is associated with extreme right wing elements in Israel and opposes withdrawal from any territories.

Hadith - (Arabic) Reported saying or traditions of the Prophet Muhammad that are not part of the Qur'an.

Haganah - (Hebrew) Literally "defense;" underground organization founded June 1920 by Ze'ev Janotinsky during the British Mandate for Palestine, to protect the Jewish Yishuv from Arab riots and violence. The Haganah became the unofficial army of the Jewish Agency, and the backbone of its leadership was taking from the Zionist socialist movements and the Kibbutzim, and was a model of a citizens' army.  The Haganah evolved into an effective military force by 1948 and was able to hold its own against the Palestinians and the invading armies of Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Iraq  and Palestinian irregulars despite inferiority in arms and numbers during the initial fighting. The Hagannah refrained from attacks on civilians and on political figures, for the most part, unlike the Irgun and Lehi terror groups.  The Hagannah was converted into the IDF in 1948. The Haganah philosophy and political opinions were to some extent reflected in the organization of the IDF.

Hajj - Obligatory pilgrimage to Mecca that is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is done during the last month of the lunar calendar, Zul-Hijjah.

Halachah - (Hebrew) Jewish religious jurisprudence.

Halal - Lawful according to Islamic din (law), especially food that may be eaten by believers.

'Hamas - (Arabic) Islamist Palestinian party that believes all of Palestine is a holy Muslim waqf, and that no part may be surrendered to foreigners. The Hamas Charter quotes the forged Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

Hapo'el Hatza'ir - - (Hebrew) ("The Young Worker") Labor Party, founded 1905 by pioneers of Second Aliyah, stressing Jewish labor as Zionist value. First Jewish workers' party founded in Palestine, whose members helped found the first kibbutz at Degania.

Haram - Not lawful according to Islam. Engaging in an act that is Haram (i.e. eating food like pork, drinking alcohol, having sex outside of marriage) would lead to punishment in the Next Life, and maybe even in this Life.

Hashomer - - (Hebrew) ("The Guard") Jewish defense organization in Palestine organized 1909, ceased to operate after founding of Haganah, 1920.

Hashomer Hatza'ir - (Hebrew - "The Young Guard") Marxist-Leninist Zionist  youth movement, founded in Europe in 1916, to prepare Jewish youth for kibbutz life in Israel. In addition to Zionism, its ideology meshes Jewish culture with universal culture and values and it retains strong ties to the left-wing kibbutz movement today. Hashomer Hatzair spawned the Mapam Party.

He-Halutz - (Hebrew) Zionist youth movement begun in Eastern Europe to promote settlement , primarily agricultural.

Herut - Literally "Liberty." The political party formed by revisionist Israeli leader Menahem Begin after creation of the state of Israel. Their slogan and anthem was "There are two banks to the Jordan" - claiming Transjordan for Israel as well as all the land West of the Jordan. Herut merged with other parties and evolved to the Gahal party and later to the Likud.

Hesder - (Hebrew) "Arrangement;" name given to the agreement between the Jewish Agency for Israel and Nazi Germany, that made possible the ransoming of German Jews who became immigrants to Palestine.

Hibbat Tsion (Hovevei Tsion) -  (Hebrew "Love of Zion") - A proto-Zionist movement for the redemption and rebuilding of Israel which sprang up among the Jews in Russia and spread to other countries at the end of the 19th century.

Hijab - (Arabic) Headdress of Muslim women prescribed by Qur'an.

Hijra, Hejirah - (Arabic) The migration of Muhammed from Mecca to Yathrib, renamed Medina ("the city') in 622.

Histadrut - (Hebrew) The Zionist Trade Union founded in 1920. Originally excluded Arabs and promoted "Avuda Ivrit" - Jewish Labor. Histadrut was for a long time the single most powerful nongovernmental force in Israel.

Hitnahlut - (Hebrew) - Settlement.

'Hisbollah - (Arabic) (also Hisbulla, Hisbolla, etc.) "The party of God." Shi'ite extremist group formed in Lebanon with the original aim of ending the Israeli occupation of Lebanon.

'Hirbeh - (Arabic) A ruin. The prefix of many abandoned Arab towns existing in Palestine before 1948.

IDF - Israel Defence Forces (Tzahal - "Tzva Hagana Leyisrael"). The abbreviation of the official name of the Israeli Army.

Ijtihad - (Arabic) Innovation in the Islamic religion.

Irgun - See Etzel.

Islamic Jihad -The Palestine Islamic Jihad group originated among militant Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the 1970s. Committed to the creation of an Islamic Palestinian state and the destruction of Israel through holy war. Specializes in suicide bombings. There is also an Egyptian Islamic Jihad that is associated with the Al-Qaeada group and Osama Bin Laden.

Ismaili - A Shi'ite Muslim sect centered in Lebanon.

Jahiliya - (Arabic) - Muslim term for the time before the rise of Islam in Arabia.

Jallabiya -  (Arabic) - Long garment (dress) worn by Muslim men.

Jewish Agency - The Jewish Agency (Hebrew - "sochnut") was established under the terms of the British Mandate for Palestine to promote Jewish immigration and to administer the affairs of the Yishuv.

Jihad - (Arabic)  "Struggle;" usually applied to an Islamic war. The Ottoman Turks waged "Jihad" against Constantinople and other parts of Europe. According to Muslim sources, "Jihad is not a war to force the faith on others, as many people think of it. It should never be interpreted as a way of compulsion of the belief on others, since there is an explicit verse in the Qur'an that says:"There is no compulsion in religion" Al-Qur'an: Al-Baqarah (2:256). Jihad is not a defensive war only, but a war against any unjust regime. If such a regime exists, a war is to be waged against the leaders, but not against the people of that country. People should be freed from the unjust regimes and influences so that they can freely choose to believe in Allah." (see Islamic glossary at www.cwis.usc.edu/dept/MSA/reference/glossary.html)

Jizyah - (Arabic) - Tax paid by non-believers in Islam.

Jund - An administrative district in the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

Ka'aba - A large stone in Mecca that is the center of Muslim worship.

Kafiyeh - (Arabic) - Head-dress worn by Arabic men.

Kibbutz - (Hebrew) Zionist collective communities. Kibbutzim served as the keystone of Jewish defense in the period prior to the state, and remained important factors in the economy, army and politics for many years thereafter, exerting an influence well beyond their small numbers.

Knesset -  (Hebrew)  The Israeli Parliament.

Kureish (Quraish, Koreish etc.) - (Arabic) = the most powerful and prominent tribe in all of Arabia at the time of Mohammed. They   were the keepers of the Ka'bah and therefore one of the wealthiest and most powerful tribes. Mohammed was from among the Quraysh. When he started to preach Islam, the Kureish fought him and his followers. Mohammed concluded a treaty with them, but then destroyed them and conquered Mecca in 630, after they had broken the treaty.

Lehi - (Hebrew) Acronym for Lohamei Herut Yisrael (also called "the Stern Gang" after its founder, Avraham ("Yair") Stern.) Freedom Fighters of Israel; terrorist organization founded in Palestine under the British Mandate to fight the British and bring about an end to the mandate. Lehi had leftist anti-imperialist ideological components as well as right-wing ones. The Lehi was absorbed into the IDF in 1948.

Likud - (Hebrew) -The amalgam of right-wing and center Zionist parties that is the successor to the revisionist Herut party.

Majlis - (Arabic) - Consultative assembly, the Jordanian houses of Parliament. Majlis al-Umma) consists of an upper house or House of Notables (Majlis al-Aayan) and a lower house or House of Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwaab).

Makrouh - Something that is not liked. Also defined as offensive.

Mapai - (Hebrew) -The Israel Labor Party (Mifleget Poalei Eretz Yisrael). The party of David Ben Gurion, first prime minister of the State of Israel, that held a majority and governed Israel until 1977, and again held power under Yitzhak Rabin and briefly under Ehud Barak. Mapai had a center-socialist ideology and was at timed allied in the "Ma'arach (alignment) with both Mapam (Mifleget Hapoalim haMeuchedet - United Workers Party) and Achdut Ha'avoda (Unity of Labor).

Mapam - (Hebrew) -Mifleget Hapoalim haMeuchedet - The (Israel) United Workers Party. Formed from left-socialist groups centered around the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement and the Kibbutz Artzi. Merged for a time with the Ahdut Ha'avoda party. Mapam advocated a binational Jewish-Arab state in Palestine and supported Stalinism and the USSR until approximately 1967. Mapam became a part and major constituent of the leftist Meretz party.

Maronite - Ancient Christian sect, centered primarily in Lebanon.

Mashbooh - Questionable or doubtful.

Meretz - (Hebrew) - An Israeli leftist party formed from Mapam, the Democratic Party for change and Ratz parties.

Mishna - (Hebrew) - Jewish law book compiled about 200 CE (AD) in Palestine under Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi, in Hebrew, superseding and enlarging on biblical law.

Mushtabahat - This is described as the “grey area” that is found between Halal and Haram. It has also been defined as questionable (Mashbooh).

Nakba - (Arabic) Disaster; the Palestinian name for the exodus of refugees from Palestine in 1948 and loss of the war against Israel.

Neturei Kartah - Literally, "keepers of the gates." A tiny sect of ultraorthodox anti-Zionist Jews who do not recognize the state of Israel. They claim that the Jewish state can only be formed when the Messiah comes.

NRP - National Religious Party - (in Hebrew "Mafdal - Mifleget haPoalim Dati-Leumi meaning National Religious Workers Party) - Orthodox Jewish Zionist party that was originally socialist in ideology and founded several Kibbutzim. Associated with the Mizrahi religious movement.  In the 1960s, the party began to break with its traditional ideology under the influence of Gush Emunim. NRP became the mainstay of the policy of settling the West Bank and Gaza strip, areas occupied by Israel in the 1967 war.

Palmach - (Hebrew) -  (or Palmach - Plugot Mahatz) - A Jewish military force in Palestine created with the assent of the British in 1941 to help defend Palestine against the possibility of invasion from Syria, which was under the control of the Vichy French government. Palmah eventually had a few thousand fighters and evolved into the underground spearhead commando force of the Haganah.

PFLP - Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, founded in 1967 by George Habash as a member of the PLO.  Marxist radical movement that has the goal of eliminating the state of Israel through terror and other means. Joined the Alliance of Palestinian Forces (APF) to oppose the Declaration of Principles signed in 1993 and suspended participation in the PLO. Broke away from the APF, along with the DFLP, in 1996 over ideological differences.

PFLP-GC - ( Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine- General Command) - A group that split from the PFLP in 1968.  to focus more on fighting and less on politics.  Led by Ahmad Jibril, a former captain in the Syrian Army. Closely tied to both Syria and Iran.

PLC- (Palestine Legislative Council)- Officially, the chief lawmaking body of the Palestine National Authority.

PLO - (Palestine Liberation Organization) - The umbrella organization of Palestinian political groups founded with the intent of destroying Israel. Founded in 1964 as an initiative of Arab states, it evolved into an organization advocating a sovereign separate Palestinian nation after the 1967 6-day war. It was initially headed by Ahmed Shokairy. Yasser Arafat, head of the Fatah group, became the head of the PLO in 1968. The PLO charter called for the destruction of Israel and its replacement by a secular democratic state, in which non-Zionist Jews would have have equal rights. The parts of the charter calling for destruction of Israel were declared to be annulled after the 1994 Oslo agreements, but the Charter of the PLO is still published in its entirety by many Palestinian groups, including the annulled sections.

PNA - (Palestine National Authority or Palestinian Authority) - The name of the governing authority of the Palestinian autonomy created under the Oslo Agreements.

PNC (Palestine National Council) - The governing body of the PLO.

Poalei Tzion - (Hebrew "Workers of Zion") - Jewish workers party founded by Ber Borochov in Russia that eventually became Mapai.

Postzionist - A term used to describe "revisionist" Israeli historians including  Ilan Pappe and Benny Morris, who presented accounts of Israeli history less favorable to Zionism than the conventionally accepted Zionist narrative. The chief innovations are 1. Arabs were in part or in whole expelled from Israel in 1948 rather than fleeing, and 2. the claim that Jewish forces  won the Israel war of Independence because they were stronger than the regular armies fielded by the Arab states.  The term is often misunderstood or misapplied as referring to a political ideology. However, there is no "postzionist movement" and the different historians labeled as post-Zionists have different political opinions.

Protocols of the Elders of Zion - Document forged by the Czarist secret police in order to incite violence against Jews in Russia, about 1905. It is based on an earlier French satire of the Emperor Napoleon III. The Protocols are alleged minutes of a meeting at which non-existent leaders of the World Jewish Conspiracy planned to take over the world. The Protocols were published by US Industrialist Henry Ford in his newspaper, The Dearborn Independent, occasioning a lawsuit. Ford lost the suit and admitted he was wrong. The Protocols are regarded as fact by many Arabs, and are mentioned as such in the charter of the Hamas.

Qur'an - (Arabic) ("Koran" in English). The holy book of Islam.

Rejectionists - Arab countries and Palestinian groups who totally reject any possibility of accommodation with Israel.

Revisionists - 1. Right wing movement that broke away from mainstream Zionism following the British White Paper of 1931, under the leadership of Ze'ev (Vladimir) Jabotinsky. Revisionists believed in conquest of  Palestine for Zionism by military force and claimed the Transjordan section of Palestine as part of Israel. They became the Herut party after independence, hich later evolved into the modern Likud. A small minority at first, the revisionists gained popularity due to the changing nature of Israeli society and the intransigence of the Arabs, which formed a perfect foil for their militaristic ideas. 2. The term revisionist is often applied to Israeli historians like Ilan Pappe and Benny Morris, who presented different accounts of Israeli history than the conventionally accepted Zionist narrative. See Postzionist.

Salah -Ed- Din (Saladin) - Muslim general and leader who made peace with the crusaders and later drove them from Jerusalem.

Salam - (Arabic) Peace. Salam and Salama'at (much peace) are Arabic greetings of hello and goodbye. In longer form: Salam Aleikum (Peace be on to you) , Salam Aleikum Warahmatulla (Peace be on to you and the mercy of Allah). The English "So long" is a corruption of "Salam."

Sha'ariyeh - (Arabic also Sha'ria, Sha'aria etc.) Muslim religious jurisprudence and law.

Salah (Salat) - (Arabic)  The five daily prayers of Islam.

Shahid - (Arabic) A holy martyr. Used to refer to suicide bombers as well as saints.

Shalom - (Hebrew) Peace. Hebrew greeting of hello and goodbye. In longer form: Shalom Aleichem (Peace be on to you). Shalom Aleichem was the pseudonym of a famous Yiddish writer, known as "the Jewish Mark Twain."

Shas - Israeli ultraorthodox party under the spiritual leadership of Rabbi Ovadia Yossef. This party appeals particularly to poor Jews of "Eastern" (Sephardic) origin.

Shi'ite - (or Shi'a) - A sect or branch of the Muslim religion centered in Iran, with large followings in southern Iraq and sub-sects (Alawi, Ismaili) in Syria and Lebanon. Shi'ites.

Suffism - Mystical and ascetic branch of Sunni Islam. Devotees are nearly all Sufis are men.

Supreme Arab Council - Arab leadership of Palestine, established during the Arab rebellion 1936-1939, led by Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini.

Sunni - (or - Sunna) - The mainstream Muslim religious sect.

Talmud - Either of two collections of Jewish legal precedents and glosses on the earlier Mishna. The Babylonian Talmud was written in Aramaic, while the less accepted Jerusalem Talmud was written in Hebrew. Both were written in the second to fifth centuries AD.

Tel - (Arabic, Hebrew) - A hill; specifically it is often a hill formed over archeological ruins.

Umma - A people. Used to designate the community of Muslims and also the community of Arabs or Arabic nation.

Vilayet - An administrative district in the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

Wahabbi - (also Wahhabi, Wahabi) Muslim Sunni reform movement founded mid-eighteenth century by Abdul-Wahhab . Wahabi is the English name and the name used for them by other sects. They call themselves Muwahidun (unitarians) and believe in strict asceticism. Muwahidun are the dominant religion of Saudi Arabia.

Ya'ad - Israeli party that replaces the Meretz party and includes the followers of Yossi Beilin.

Yathrib - (Arabic)  Ancient name of Medina.

Yesha - (Hebrew Acronym) - The abbreviation of "Yehuda Shomron veAza" - Judea, Samaria and Gaza, the Hebrew names for the occupied lands in the West Bank of the Jordan.

Yishuv - (Hebrew) The Jewish community in Palestine prior to the declaration of the state of Israel, including the pre-Zionist era as well as the mandate.

Zakah - (Arabic)  Islamic charity tax.

Zedaka - (Hebrew) Jewish charity.

Mideastweb Middle East Conflict News History Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Brief History http://www.mideastweb.org/briefhistory.htm Zionism Zionism: Definition & brief history