| Prologue
Since the dawn of history, the Palestinian issue has been the
focal point of national and international conflicts in the
Middle East. However, the historical realities of Palestine in
general, and of Jerusalem in particular, have been
manipulated, adulterated and even hijacked for one specific
reason or another.
The various accounts of events, taken out of their historical
context and used for political, ethnic, religious and sectarian
purposes, have spread confusion and uncertainty in
contemporary culture, to such an extent that people today
view the socio-historic situation of Palestine as fraught with
insurmountable hurdles that prevent a correct understanding
of the “Palestinian Problem”.
In the two years of lectures I have given on Palestine, I have
verified that, by presenting history “from the outside looking
in”, in a logical, chronological sequence, one can gain a better
understanding of historical realities, because it enables one to
analyse historical facts reliably and impartially. By applying
this methodology, I have rearranged the content of the abovementioned
lectures in this book, so as to put within reach of
the average reader a well-documented, and comparatively
comprehensive treatise.
This book contains two distinct parts—the first deals with the
history of Jerusalem, from the dawn of time to well into the
modern age; that is, up to the time of the Ottoman empire. In
contrast, the second part focuses on demographic and political
events from the fall of the Ottoman empire, and the subsequent
colonial invasion, to the present time; in other words, from the
end of the First World War to the death of Yasir Arafat in late 2004.
The aim of this book is not merely to provide an account of
historical events in a region that is the focus of world attention,
but to explain—through data, facts, documents and the
biographies of prominent figures who have played a leading role
in shaping Palestine—the undeniable realities that should be
taken into account in building the future of Palestine on the
basis of law and legality, and not on the basis of ethno-political
claims tainted by fanatical or dogmatic stances.
I hope that this compendium fulfils the objectives I have
outlined, which are intended solely to lay bare the unmasked
realities of the Palestinian situation to those readers interested
in knowng what is happening in that part of the world.
December 2005
Dr. Tareq M. Suwaidan
Author
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