History as a subject depends heavily on analyzing and understanding the past, in order to understand the circumstances that have shaped the world as we currently know it. Through important time periods such as the Arab-Israeli conflict spanning from the late 19th century to the early 21st century, historians have been able to analyze the causes of the rise of nationalist movements, the interactions between Jews and Arabs in Palestine , and thus the layers of ongoing feuding during this period. Differences arising from religion and culture appear to be the foundation of the conflict between these two parties and the justification of nationalism that inevitably led to the intersection of Jewish and Arab identities. However, authors such as Rashid Khalidi in “The Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness,” seek to examine the development of Palestinian nationalism as early as the 19th century in order to separate their stories through exploring the cultural beginnings of the Palestinian that preceded the encounter with Zionism. In this essay I will discuss the text written by Rashid Khalidi and the relationship of this source to our course outcomes, as well as critically analyze the messages the text attempts to portray. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayKhalidi attempts to evaluate the construction of Palestinian national identity, its historical phases and the obstacles it faced outside the borders that “Palestinian nationalism developed in response to Zionism”. The author analyzes the fall of 'The Ottoman Empire and the early Mandate period and its effects on the culture and identity of its Arab citizens, however does little to dissociate the Palestinian identity from that of the conflict or from other identities which, he explains, are among the reasons for which “the Palestinian identity is so little understood”. In this sense, the Palestinian identity is one that is created on the basis of competing “alter egos”, since it depends on the existence of other cultures, and without them it could no longer exist The emergence of nationalism in Palestine began in 1834 during the Arab Revolt, which was a reaction to conscription into the Egyptian army as Egypt's ruler sought to occupy Syria through Palestine, then ruled by the Ottoman Empire. Traditionally, soldiers were recruited from mercenaries, slaves, or members of a military caste; however, conscription included ordinary subjects as well as the lower classes. This sparked popular resistance as peasants equated recruitment with death, which in turn forged unity between groups against a common enemy. The allied classes during this conflict served to establish the Palestinians as a people. The formation of Palestinian nationalism continues into the 19th and 20th centuries through the focus on Jerusalem as a sacred entity for multiple different parties, primarily Christian, Jewish, and Muslim. The life and death of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem provided a religious attachment to Christians and Jews, while Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Jerusalem provided a connection to the land for the Arabs. Khalidi argues that “the claim that Palestinian nationalism developed in response to the challenge of Zionism embodies the kernel of a much older truth, [in that] modern nationalism was rooted in long-standing attitudes of concern for Jerusalem and for Palestine as sacred." This was a response to perceived threats from European powers and the Zionist movement. The opposition between the Roman Church and Palestine can be seen as early as the 11th century through the Crusades. This series of religious wars served.”