Michael Schulz
Please see powerpoint entitled, "Palestinian SocietyRS2235 vt10.ppt" at http://kursportal.student.gu.se/inst/S2GLS%7C_%7CNONE/RS2235/filuppladdning/browse2.php?dir=Kursmoment%2FLecture+notes+and+ppt
Here are some of the highlights:
- Throughout today's lecture we will discuss the major cleavages in Palestinian society. Unfortunately, we will not have time to discuss gender and family but that will be covered in assigned readings and subsequent lectures.
- We will also focus on society within the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, it is important to keep in mind that Palestinians live in other states in the Middle East including Israel and that millions of Palestinians live in the diaspora in Europe and the U.S.
What is society and what relationship does does have to the state?
- There are many theories about the nature and role of society as well as links between the state and society, the state and government, and the state and nation.
- For the sake of our discussion, it is important to understand prevalent social arrangements in Middle Eastern states.
¤ Families often control important state positions.
¤ Certain ethnicities are priveleged above others.
¤ The closer an ethnicity is to the state apparatus, the more powerful the ethnicity is within society.
Social Images
- Israeli military incursions, closers, and threats of violence
- Separation wall and loss of income
- Lack of mobility
How has the conflicted affected Palestinians?
- Many Palestinians suffer from depression, insomnia, bedwetting, nightmares, phobias, separation anxiety, inability to concentrate, etc.
- Overall, Palestinians have poor general health.
-The occupation has had a profound impact on Palestinians both physically and psychologically.
- Domestic violence and child abuse are endemic.
- Palestinians have a general feeling of insecurity as a result of the ever present prospect of home demolitions and land confiscation.
- The Palestinian population has dramatically increased in the last 20-30 years.
- Today, approximately 75% of the population is below the age of 20. (Demography is similar in other Arab states.)
- There is also an extremely high population density.
Who is Who in Palestine?
- Top level: political and miliary leaders
- Middle level: bureaucrats, academics, religious leaders, national NGO leaders
- Lower level: local activists, local NGO leaders, community leaders
- Palestinian society is extremely hierarchical.
- Few are at the top but those at the top are extremely wealthy.
- Socio-economic stratification leads to great frustrations within society.
Civil Society
- Palestine does contain a well functioning civil society but only about 11% of the population participates.
- Lack of participation may be explained by control exerted by top leaders.
- Palestinian civil society is highly politicized which makes things complicated especially if you believe that political parties are not a part of civil society.
- After Oslo, civil society was restructured and new categories emerged including the peace industry, Islamic organizations, and organizations linked to the PLO.
- While Islamic organizations are grass roots oriented, the peace industry and PLO affliated organizations are not.
Religiousity, September 2009
- Palestinian society is very religious and the vast majority are Muslim.
- Most Christians have emigrated because they possess greater opportunities to do so.
Work, September 2009
- Approximately 67% of Palestinians are unemployed. (But this percentage is heavily dependent on how one defines employment.
- Unemployment is higher in the Gaza Strip than the West Bank.
- Approximately 6% of Palestinans work as farmers.
- The clan system/ family structure helps to ensure that family members' needs are met.
- Huge socio-economic disparities exist within society.
Material Standard, September 2009
- Approximately 90% of Palestine families have satelite dishes and mobile phone but almost no one has a dishwasher. (This is explained, in part, by priorities and gender roles.)
Newspapers, September 2009
- Approximately 30% of the population read newspapers.
- The majority of those who read newspapers read al-Quds.
Radio/ TV, September 2009
- Most people get their information from radio or television.
- al Jazeera is the most watched television network.
- Most Palestinians do not follow Israeli news, the BBC, or CNN.
- Editorial note: It is sad that Palestinians do not follow Israeli news because it is often balanced and each group could learn a lot from each other.
Israeli Occupation, September 2009
- 9.4% of Palesitnians have been wounded by Israeli forces.
- 10.2% have been imprisoned in Israel.
- 14.7% have had land confiscated from their family since 1967.
- Editorial note: Statistics about violence are difficult to interpret given the prevalence of violence in Palestinian society in general.
Democracy, September 2009
- 32% believe that a Palestinian state should not be modeled according to any existing state system.
- 16% believe that Jordan's "democratic" system is worth emulating.
- More than 70% of Palesitnians view themselves as democraitc, at least ideologically.
- WHo are the anti-democrats?
¤ The answer to this quesiton is unclear.
¤ Religious people who are not a part of Hamas or the Muslim brotherhood do not consider themselves as political.
- Most Palestinians do not believe that democracy and Islam are mutually exclusive. This was evidenced by the election of Hamas in 2006.
Trust levels, September 2009
- Palestinians tend to trust organizations of civil society more than state organizations.
- 61.4% trust universities but this percentage represents a decrease since the previous survey.
- 45.6% in the West Bank and 28.1% in Gaza trust the courts.
- 50.9% trust the Palestinian press.
- Security reforms have increased trust in certain state organizations such as the courts, police, and security forces from 2006-2009.
- Trust in state leaders and organizations is generally decreasing in the Gaza Strip.
Cleavages
- Insiders - outsiders
- West Bank - Gaza Strip
- Israelis - Palestinians (This is the biggest and most consequential cleavage.)
- Fatah - Hamas
- Cleavages within the PLO (This is linked to the diaspora, particularly in Syria and Lebanon.)
- Cleavages within and between clan and family system
- Class differences
- Muslims - Christians
- Generations
- Resources (This is linked to the occupation.)
Final Note
- The majority of the people are waiting for the next new movement to emerge and serve their interests.
- Unfortunately, this new movement does not currently exist.
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