Institute for Palestine Studies

05/10/2026

On 10 May 2021, the Israeli war on Gaza Strip began, following weeks of escalating settler and state violence across Palestinian occupied territories.

In the lead-up, several developments converged: the postponement of Palestinian legislative elections, Israeli police attacks on worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, and renewed eviction threats against Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah.
After issuing an ultimatum demanding Israeli withdrawal from these areas, Hamas launched its “Sword of Jerusalem” operation. Israel responded the same evening with “Operation Guardian of the Walls,” initiating a large-scale bombing campaign on Gaza that quickly escalated into a 12-day war.

The assault resulted in the killing of over 248 Palestinians, including 66 children, and more than 2,100 arrests, while also triggering widespread mobilization across Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza, and among Palestinians inside Israel, culminating in the general strike of 18 May and what became known as the Unity Intifada.

Explore the Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question on PalQuest to learn more about the May 2021 Gaza War:

Highlight - Against New Challenges, Israel’s Old Recipes - Between late April and early May 2021, several events converged to create a new Israeli-Palestinian political-strategic dynamic: Palestinian...

05/08/2026

For the newly released issue of the Journal of Palestine Studies, editor Sherene Seikaly opens with an exploration of impunity in the context of the geopolitical turmoil unfolding throughout the world. “Indeed, impunity with abandon may well erode the power of the hegemons now destroying our world,” Seikaly asserts, while still reminding us, “...to think from within the ruin, to ‘face our defeat with an open face,’ and to create 'new possibilities for living even when the familiar world has ended.’” Continue reading (open access): https://doi.org/10.1080/0377919X.2026.2651069

05/08/2026

We’re looking for a Digital Production Intern with a strong eye for storytelling, design, and social media. If you’re creative, detail-oriented, and passionate about thoughtful digital content, we’d love to hear from you.

Deadline: May 20th, 2026 12 pm ET

Apply at the link below:
bit.ly/ips26intern

05/08/2026

We’re looking for a Digital Production Intern with a strong eye for storytelling, design, and social media.
If you’re creative, detail-oriented, and passionate about thoughtful digital content, we’d love to hear from you.
Apply now at the link in our bio!
🗓️ Deadline: May 20th, 2026 12 pm EST

05/08/2026

Finalized on May 8–9, 1916, the Sykes-Picot agreement divided the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire into British and French spheres of influence. Its accompanying map outlined zones of direct and indirect control, including a “brown area” in parts of what would become Palestine, designated for an international administration to be determined by the colonial powers.

Negotiated in the midst of World War I, the agreement emerged from a series of secret talks between British and French officials, Mark Sykes and François Georges-Picot, with the approval of Sergey Sazonov. It followed earlier British promises to Hussein bin Ali supporting the creation of an independent Arab state after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

Conceived without the participation of the region’s peoples, the Sykes-Picot map laid the groundwork for prolonged colonial rule and foreign occupation in the region, with lasting consequences to this day.
Find the entire map and other related documents. Content available in Arabic and English.

Historical Media - 8 May 1916 - Royal Geographical Society - The National Archives, Kew - Ottoman Empire - Map of Sykes–Picot Agreement, signed by Mark Sykes and François Georges-Picot on 8 May, showing Eastern Turkey in Asia, Syria and Western Persia, and...

05/07/2026

As 2026 marks 90 years since the beginning of the Great Palestinian Rebellion of 1936, a pivotal moment in the Palestinian national movement, PalQuest highlights the opening phase of the general strike and armed resistance.

Following the outbreak of the Rebellion in April, on 7 May 1936, national committees convened in Jerusalem and declared a nationwide general strike, advancing the demand of “no taxation without representation.” What began as a mass civil action soon expanded, as armed resistance emerged in the countryside and gradually became more organized, extending into urban centers. During this period, key infrastructure such as the Iraq Petroleum Company pipeline became a repeated target, reflecting the growing coordination and scope of the uprising.
These events marked the start of a sustained revolt against British rule, laying the groundwork for one of the most significant uprisings in modern Palestinian history, as well as a violent British repression.

Explore the Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question on PalQuest to learn more:

Event - On 7 May, a conference of all National Committees, meeting in Jerusalem, announces a nationwide general strike and calls for no taxation without...

05/07/2026

The Journal of Palestine Studies continues to publish, even while “the realities we inhabit continue to outstrip our capacity to analyze them,” as Sherene Seikaly writes in her editorial. Amid the new normal of genocidal and imperial impunity from Cuba to Gaza, Lebanon to Iran, this issue of JPS comes weeks after another devastating reality: the passing of Walid Khalidi, without whom this journal would not exist.

Read the full issue featuring critical analysis and reflection on ongoing Nakba and resistance to imperial impunity: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rpal20/55/1

05/07/2026

Dr. Refaat Alareer’s former student Zaina Nassar reflects on the teacher, mentor, and writer who encouraged generations of Palestinians to tell their stories, document their realities, and use language as a form of resistance. Through the memories of his students, the article traces the lasting impact of an educator who believed that “stories contain the full truth.”
Even after his killing in Gaza in 2023, Dr. Refaat’s influence continues through the writers and students he inspired. 
Read the full story at the link in our bio.

05/06/2026

Education in Lebanon is being systematically dismantled. In this piece, Amy Fallas examines how war, displacement, and systemic attacks on institutions are reshaping the country’s academic landscape. 
 
Since March 2026, Israel’s war has displaced over 1.2 million people and killed thousands while also targeting universities, professors, and students. From destroyed infrastructure to disrupted learning, this reflects a broader pattern of scholasticide. 
 
Read the full story at the link in our bio.

05/04/2026

📣 JQ 104 now available.

“This issue of the Jerusalem Quarterly brings together diverse articles and essays that explore issues affecting Jerusalem in particular and Palestine more broadly. From theaters and prisons to archives and university classrooms, contributors to this issue treat these varied spaces as sites of Palestinian knowledge production, assertion, and preservation.”

Read the rest of the editorial and the full issue today - link in story and bio.

https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1658904

05/02/2026

Ibrahim Tuqan, the writer behind the ode Mawtini, passed away on this day in 1941, 85 years ago today.

His poetic talent appeared at an early age due to several influences among which one might mention his brother Ahmad, who introduced him to ancient and modern Arabic poetry; the effect of the literary and poetic environment in Beirut during his years of study there; and his in-depth study of the Qur'an. His poetry was revolutionary and nationalist in character; he sang of the land, attacking those who sold it, lauding heroes and martyrs, and criticizing the quarrels among leaders.

Widely regarded as a pioneering Palestinian poet of the twentieth century, Tuqan’s work captured the spirit of resistance and national identity. His poem Mawtini, written in 1934, became the unofficial anthem of Palestine and, following the 2003 U.S. invasion, was adopted as the national anthem of Iraq.

Read more about his life and legacy on :

Biography - Ibrahim Tuqan was born in Nablus. His father was Abd al-Fattah Tuqan; his mother was Fawziyya Amin Asqalan. He had four brothers, Yusuf, Ahmad, Rahmi...