On Youth and National Identity in the Palestinian Context

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.13169/bethunivj.37.2020.0015
• Published date: 01 January 2020
• Date: 01 January 2020
• Pages: 15-34
• Author: Jamil Hilal

15 )( 





















    

 



























16

)( 

On Youth and National Identity in the Palestinian

Context

Jamil Hilal

Abstract

Thisstudy aimstoexamine theattitudes andopinionsof Palestinianyouthin

thecontextofthedebateaboutintergenerationalconictandthespecicityof

youthinthe Palestinian condition.A high percentageofyoung people in the

variousPalestiniancommunitiesareexposedtounemployment,andintheWest

BankandGaza Strip, theyhave become targetsofthe Israeli occupationand

its policies. Most Palestinian youth also face a dead-end in the political and

livinghorizons andthescarcity ofnormal lifeopportunities)including,work,

education,family,freedomofmovement,planningforthefuture,etc.(. Young

people, as the case with women and other social groups, are also subject to

restrictions that limit their access to political, economic, social and cultural

decision-makingpositions.Drawingonstudies andsurveys thatdealtwiththe

situationofPalestinianyouth,afterdiscussingtherationaleforinterestinyouth

in the past two decades, this study shows the need to deal with youth as an

essentialcomponentofsocietyandnotasanexternalsegmentorasoutsiders.It

alsoindicatesthattherearerelativelylimiteddifferencesbetweenthepositions

andopinionsofPalestinianyouthandtheolderagegroups.Thestudyconcludes

thatdifferences in theopinions of youth)and non-youth( canbeattributed to

thevariationsinthepoliticalsituationsandlifeopportunitiesamongPalestinian

communities,gender,placeofresidence,andpoliticalafliation. The study did

notndevidence tosupporttheargumentthatintergenerationalconictexists.

ThedeterminingfactorinthisconditionistheIsraelioccupation,Zionistsettler-

colonialism,apartheidregime,andthedenialofbasicrights.Thisstudyconrms

thevitality ofnational cultureamong thevarious Palestiniancommunities.

 Youth engagement, Israeli occupation and settler-colonialism,

national culture, comprehensive political vision

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this article do not represent the

opinionsoftheJournal’seditorialboardandstaffoftheDeanofResearchatBethlehem

University.Theaccuracyofthematerialandanyerrorsinthispublication arethesole

responsibilityof theauthor.