Seth Frantzman | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (original) (raw)
Papers by Seth Frantzman
INTRODUCTIONPalestinian education has often been in the spotlight for the role it plays in the Pa... more INTRODUCTIONPalestinian education has often been in the spotlight for the role it plays in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. At the college and university level student politics have often played an integral role in shaping Palestinian society. In 2001, a unique attempt was made to establish an American Studies Institute on the main campus of Al-Quds University. It attracted a microcosm of Palestinian professionals to its graduate program, many of whom were active in various government branches of the Palestinian Authority. However, numerous obstacles resulted in a decline in the program's effectiveness. As part of the larger "Americanization" milieu, the university's experience can serve as a bellwether and instructive example of issues facing Palestinian society, particularly education, government institutions, the security sector, and NGOs in the last decade since the end of the Second Intifada. The experiences of the students have implications for Palestinian-A...
INTRODUCTIONOn November 24, 2016, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi travelled to Tal Afar airf... more INTRODUCTIONOn November 24, 2016, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi travelled to Tal Afar airfield in northern Iraq, which had been liberated from Islamic State (IS) a week before. After a meeting with leaders of the Hashd al-Sha'abi (PMU) he was briefed on the situation at the front line facing IS in the key strategic town of Tal Afar, several kilometers away. Shortly after al-Abadi left the airbase, an explosion occured near the location where the Prime Minister had been. A PMU statement claimed that they had been targeted by a laser-guided bomb or missile and the Iranian regime-run Press TV claimed a "U.S. missile strike" had hit the command tent.1The day before the missile strike PMU leader Hadi al-Amri (Amiri), head of the Badr organization (a Shia political party and militia that is part of the PMU), had linked up with Kurdish forces near Tal Afar to complete the encirclement of IS in Mosul and threaten the Turkmen-majority town of Tal Afar itself.2 Amri was i...
New Middle Eastern Studies, 2011
During the late Ottoman and British Mandatory periods the cultural and environmental landscape of... more During the late Ottoman and British Mandatory periods the cultural and environmental landscape of Palestine changed dramatically. This was reflected in both urban development and rural settlement patterns. In the last decades of Ottoman rule much of the newly settled rural low country of Palestine, including the coastal plain and Jordan valley, was strongly influenced by Bedouin tribes, who were living in various states of mobile pastoralism. By the end of the British Mandate the majority of the Bedouin, with the exception of those living in the Negev in Southern Palestine, had become sedentary in one form or another. The Bedouin actively built about 60 new villages and dispersed settlements, comprising several thousand houses. The Mandate authorities estimated the population of these Bedouin villages to be 27,500 in 1945. Our paper examines who the inhabitants of these Bedouin villages were, tracing them from their nomadic and pastoral origins in the late Ottoman period to their fi...
Contested Indigeneity: The Development of an Indigenous Discourse on the Bedouin of the Negev, Is... more Contested Indigeneity: The Development of an Indigenous Discourse on the Bedouin of the Negev, Israel ABSTR ACT The article examines the history of the development of a discourse that regards the Bedouin of the Negev desert in Southern Israel as an indigenous people of Israel. This movement has generated a great deal of activity in recent years, particularly the submission of a petition to the U.N. by activ-ists asking for the Bedouin to be recognized as having indigenous commu-nal rights in 2005. The subject is examined in the context of the worldwide recognition of indigenous rights that culminated in the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was adopted on the 13th of September 2007. The article takes account of the processes and activities of individuals who have helped lead and craft a narrative of an indigenous Bedouin identity. It also explores the rise of an indigenous consciousness movement as reflected in states, academic institutions, NGOs, and indi-...
Dapim: Studies on the Holocaust, 2012
The 32 paratroopers from the Yishuv in Palestine who were selected by the Jewish Agency, trained ... more The 32 paratroopers from the Yishuv in Palestine who were selected by the Jewish Agency, trained by the British and inserted into Eastern Europe during WWII became iconic figures in Israel. THis study seeks to clarify one of the last remaining grey areas of their story-how the Jewish partisans who were parachuted into Yugoslavia perceived their mission and how they were received by the locals.
Journal of Historical Geography, 2012
... 18371848, compared with Klein's calculated level Drawn by Tamar Sofer after Nili Greice... more ... 18371848, compared with Klein's calculated level Drawn by Tamar Sofer after Nili Greicer 263 xi ... Last, but not least, are my Israeli friends and colleagues, Guy Beyner, Rehav 'Buni ... Wahrmann, and my two teachers, tutors, colleagues and friends, Yehoshua Ben-Arieh and Ruth ...
Digest of Middle East Studies, 2014
After 1948, Israel's governing elites embarked on a rigorous program of state building an... more After 1948, Israel's governing elites embarked on a rigorous program of state building and settling hundreds of thousands of Jewish immigrants. In the process, the elites, primarily from the leading Mapai party, developed a process of othering Jewish immigrants from Arab countries, Arab citizens, and Orthodox Jews. They were physically segregated in their own schools and communities, and the elite culture described them as a threat against the European culture of Jewish immigrants from central Europe. The process targeted Mizrahi Jews before moving on to deplore the “demographic threat” of Orthodox Jews and resulted in the current normative hegemonic discourse in Israel that paints numerous groups as threatening the state. This article proposes a four-part model for understanding “the other” in Israel: contemporary denial and nostalgia for a homogenous past, the view of Zionism as a civilizing mission, the application of separation of ethnic groups in planning, and demographic fear of the other. Altogether, they paint a picture of an Israel that has not come to grips with its past, and therefore continues the process of “othering” in its contemporary ethnocratic framework. Combining the analysis of geographic separation, and planning and media, it presents an innovative understanding of Israeli society.
New Perspectives on Turkey, 2010
This paper is a sequel to Fischel and Kark's study on the private lands owned by Sultan Abdül... more This paper is a sequel to Fischel and Kark's study on the private lands owned by Sultan Abdülhamid II (1842-1918, ruled 1876-1909) in Palestine and analyzes their fate after his forced abdication. In particular, we examine the court cases that arose around these lands, cases which were initiated by his heirs after 1920. For 28 years the heirs, led by his eldest son, Mohammad Selim and his daughter Amina Namika, approached half a dozen governments in the Middle East and Europe to regain the properties they claimed. The appeals represented a test of the British colonial legal system as well as issues of land settlement and the role of foreign courts in interpreting Turkish and Ottoman law. We furthermore examine the disposition of the sultan's lands from his abdication in 1909 to the last attempts by his heirs to recover them from the State of Israel in 1950, the general context of his lands in the Middle East as a whole, and the legal precedent set by the Mandatory Palestine ...
Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palastina-Vereins
page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purp... more page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.
makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the "Content") contai... more makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the "Content") contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic re...
Population, Space and Place, 2013
ABSTRACT The census of nomadic populations poses a challenge for governing authorities. In 1945, ... more ABSTRACT The census of nomadic populations poses a challenge for governing authorities. In 1945, the British Mandatory government of Palestine developed a novel method to enumerate the nomadic Bedouin population of the Negev. By using aerial reconnaissance photography to augment conventional methods, they counted the tents of the tribesmen and marked them on a small scale map. This represented the culmination of years of British efforts to estimate the nomadic population of Palestine's largest administrative area, the Beersheba subdistrict of the Negev Desert, between 1917 and 1948. The aims of this paper were to chronicle, examine, and evaluate the British Mandatory estimates and censuses of the Bedouin population of the Negev undertaken in 1922, 1931, and 1946, and to compare them with their aerial survey of Bedouin tents in 1945. This study brings together a body of primary source material to examine a topic that has not been adequately addressed by researchers, and briefly touches on British strategic interests to invest in this activity. We assess the importance and accuracy of this mapping as well as its implications for the study of the Bedouin population of the Negev.
Middle Eastern Studies, 2014
ABSTRACT This paper traces the history and development of Catholic real estate ownership in Pales... more ABSTRACT This paper traces the history and development of Catholic real estate ownership in Palestine/Israel, uses of the properties, and the impact on the physical and cultural landscapes and on identity formation of the local population. It takes a long-term perspective, beginning with the return, after a short absence, of the Franciscans to the Holy Land in the fourteenth century and ending with the present position of the Catholic Church and the properties of its various sects and orders. It examines the history of the Catholic Church in Palestine/Israel under the Ottoman, British, Jordanian, Egyptian and Israeli regimes. In contrast to the large body of existing scholarship on the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, this examination of the local history of the Catholic Church views it through the prism of land ownership and properties. The landholdings of the Catholics are compared and contrasted with findings of previous studies by authors on those of the Greek-Orthodox and Anglican churches. Special attention is paid to the differences in frameworks, functions and geographic dispersal of the church organs, such as monasteries and educational institutions as well as the property of the local Arab Greek-Catholics. The article also examines the effect of Arabization of the Catholic clergy in relation to the lands owned by the Catholic Church and finds that, unlike other churches in the Holy Land, the Catholic Church has not generally experienced ethnic-related dissent over property.
Levant, 2013
ABSTRACT The Muslim tombs of local saints and prophets were an integral part of the landscape of ... more ABSTRACT The Muslim tombs of local saints and prophets were an integral part of the landscape of British Mandate Palestine. They were ubiquitous and significant; located in almost all parts of the region, from the slopes of the Hermon Mountain in the north, to the Negev Desert in the south. These shrines were found in cities, towns and countryside, extending from the shores of the Mediterranean to the Great Rift Valley. However, no systematic study of their extent or significant analysis of the monuments has been undertaken. Using British period maps and additional sources from the 1930–40s, this study analyses almost 800 Muslim tombs and sanctuaries. Through comparison with the Palestine Exploration Fund survey of the 1870s and other sources from the Late Ottoman Period, the article identifies patterns associated with these tombs, including their history and, in some cases, their origins and the changes that they underwent during this period. Case studies of different regions and analysis of the physical and geographical location of the monuments also sheds light on their significance in various regions of Palestine and to different population groups.
Digest of Middle East Studies, 2013
ABSTRACT In the late Ottoman and Mandatory periods, Palestine's rural landscape underwent... more ABSTRACT In the late Ottoman and Mandatory periods, Palestine's rural landscape underwent a great transformation. This study examines how the Muslim population expanded beyond its traditional inhabitation in the highlands and settled the fluid inventory of marginal lands in the coastal plains and unpopulated valleys of Palestine. In settling these marginal landscapes their settlement dovetailed with Jewish settlement patterns. While most studies have emphasized the competitive aspect of this process, examining Zionist and Arab national claims, this research points to a different aspect of this new settlement—mainly how much the Jewish and Muslim settlement patterns mirrored one another and how they were part of similar physical processes and complemented one another. Relying on censuses, aerial photographs, and period maps, as well as other archival sources, this is the first systematic research to examine the full extent of new Muslim settlements in Palestine in the late Ottoman and Mandatory periods, and to draw parallels between this phenomenon and the settlement endeavors of the Zionists.
A look at the Iran tensions and Israel in May 2018, a reported piece from the field.
The United States has engaged in several years of war in Iraq against the Islamic State (IS) sinc... more The United States has engaged in several years of war in Iraq against the Islamic State (IS) since launching Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve in October 2014. The United States estimates that they have killed more than 60,000 IS members, conducted more than 22,000 airstrikes and trained more than 100,000 security forces throughout Iraq. The successful U.S. campaign is in contrast to past operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere and is best encapsulated in the " by, with, and through " approach of letting Iraqis lead operations. This bottom-up approach is tactically successful but is short on strategy, opening the door for Iranian influence in Iraq. The United States is modeling other counterterror operations throughout the world on its Iraq success with other " build partner capacity " programs. Based on two years of fieldwork and interviews, this article examines both the tactical successes and policy implications of the U.S. successes against IS in Iraq.
INTRODUCTIONPalestinian education has often been in the spotlight for the role it plays in the Pa... more INTRODUCTIONPalestinian education has often been in the spotlight for the role it plays in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. At the college and university level student politics have often played an integral role in shaping Palestinian society. In 2001, a unique attempt was made to establish an American Studies Institute on the main campus of Al-Quds University. It attracted a microcosm of Palestinian professionals to its graduate program, many of whom were active in various government branches of the Palestinian Authority. However, numerous obstacles resulted in a decline in the program's effectiveness. As part of the larger "Americanization" milieu, the university's experience can serve as a bellwether and instructive example of issues facing Palestinian society, particularly education, government institutions, the security sector, and NGOs in the last decade since the end of the Second Intifada. The experiences of the students have implications for Palestinian-A...
INTRODUCTIONOn November 24, 2016, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi travelled to Tal Afar airf... more INTRODUCTIONOn November 24, 2016, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi travelled to Tal Afar airfield in northern Iraq, which had been liberated from Islamic State (IS) a week before. After a meeting with leaders of the Hashd al-Sha'abi (PMU) he was briefed on the situation at the front line facing IS in the key strategic town of Tal Afar, several kilometers away. Shortly after al-Abadi left the airbase, an explosion occured near the location where the Prime Minister had been. A PMU statement claimed that they had been targeted by a laser-guided bomb or missile and the Iranian regime-run Press TV claimed a "U.S. missile strike" had hit the command tent.1The day before the missile strike PMU leader Hadi al-Amri (Amiri), head of the Badr organization (a Shia political party and militia that is part of the PMU), had linked up with Kurdish forces near Tal Afar to complete the encirclement of IS in Mosul and threaten the Turkmen-majority town of Tal Afar itself.2 Amri was i...
New Middle Eastern Studies, 2011
During the late Ottoman and British Mandatory periods the cultural and environmental landscape of... more During the late Ottoman and British Mandatory periods the cultural and environmental landscape of Palestine changed dramatically. This was reflected in both urban development and rural settlement patterns. In the last decades of Ottoman rule much of the newly settled rural low country of Palestine, including the coastal plain and Jordan valley, was strongly influenced by Bedouin tribes, who were living in various states of mobile pastoralism. By the end of the British Mandate the majority of the Bedouin, with the exception of those living in the Negev in Southern Palestine, had become sedentary in one form or another. The Bedouin actively built about 60 new villages and dispersed settlements, comprising several thousand houses. The Mandate authorities estimated the population of these Bedouin villages to be 27,500 in 1945. Our paper examines who the inhabitants of these Bedouin villages were, tracing them from their nomadic and pastoral origins in the late Ottoman period to their fi...
Contested Indigeneity: The Development of an Indigenous Discourse on the Bedouin of the Negev, Is... more Contested Indigeneity: The Development of an Indigenous Discourse on the Bedouin of the Negev, Israel ABSTR ACT The article examines the history of the development of a discourse that regards the Bedouin of the Negev desert in Southern Israel as an indigenous people of Israel. This movement has generated a great deal of activity in recent years, particularly the submission of a petition to the U.N. by activ-ists asking for the Bedouin to be recognized as having indigenous commu-nal rights in 2005. The subject is examined in the context of the worldwide recognition of indigenous rights that culminated in the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was adopted on the 13th of September 2007. The article takes account of the processes and activities of individuals who have helped lead and craft a narrative of an indigenous Bedouin identity. It also explores the rise of an indigenous consciousness movement as reflected in states, academic institutions, NGOs, and indi-...
Dapim: Studies on the Holocaust, 2012
The 32 paratroopers from the Yishuv in Palestine who were selected by the Jewish Agency, trained ... more The 32 paratroopers from the Yishuv in Palestine who were selected by the Jewish Agency, trained by the British and inserted into Eastern Europe during WWII became iconic figures in Israel. THis study seeks to clarify one of the last remaining grey areas of their story-how the Jewish partisans who were parachuted into Yugoslavia perceived their mission and how they were received by the locals.
Journal of Historical Geography, 2012
... 18371848, compared with Klein's calculated level Drawn by Tamar Sofer after Nili Greice... more ... 18371848, compared with Klein's calculated level Drawn by Tamar Sofer after Nili Greicer 263 xi ... Last, but not least, are my Israeli friends and colleagues, Guy Beyner, Rehav 'Buni ... Wahrmann, and my two teachers, tutors, colleagues and friends, Yehoshua Ben-Arieh and Ruth ...
Digest of Middle East Studies, 2014
After 1948, Israel's governing elites embarked on a rigorous program of state building an... more After 1948, Israel's governing elites embarked on a rigorous program of state building and settling hundreds of thousands of Jewish immigrants. In the process, the elites, primarily from the leading Mapai party, developed a process of othering Jewish immigrants from Arab countries, Arab citizens, and Orthodox Jews. They were physically segregated in their own schools and communities, and the elite culture described them as a threat against the European culture of Jewish immigrants from central Europe. The process targeted Mizrahi Jews before moving on to deplore the “demographic threat” of Orthodox Jews and resulted in the current normative hegemonic discourse in Israel that paints numerous groups as threatening the state. This article proposes a four-part model for understanding “the other” in Israel: contemporary denial and nostalgia for a homogenous past, the view of Zionism as a civilizing mission, the application of separation of ethnic groups in planning, and demographic fear of the other. Altogether, they paint a picture of an Israel that has not come to grips with its past, and therefore continues the process of “othering” in its contemporary ethnocratic framework. Combining the analysis of geographic separation, and planning and media, it presents an innovative understanding of Israeli society.
New Perspectives on Turkey, 2010
This paper is a sequel to Fischel and Kark's study on the private lands owned by Sultan Abdül... more This paper is a sequel to Fischel and Kark's study on the private lands owned by Sultan Abdülhamid II (1842-1918, ruled 1876-1909) in Palestine and analyzes their fate after his forced abdication. In particular, we examine the court cases that arose around these lands, cases which were initiated by his heirs after 1920. For 28 years the heirs, led by his eldest son, Mohammad Selim and his daughter Amina Namika, approached half a dozen governments in the Middle East and Europe to regain the properties they claimed. The appeals represented a test of the British colonial legal system as well as issues of land settlement and the role of foreign courts in interpreting Turkish and Ottoman law. We furthermore examine the disposition of the sultan's lands from his abdication in 1909 to the last attempts by his heirs to recover them from the State of Israel in 1950, the general context of his lands in the Middle East as a whole, and the legal precedent set by the Mandatory Palestine ...
Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palastina-Vereins
page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purp... more page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.
makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the "Content") contai... more makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the "Content") contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic re...
Population, Space and Place, 2013
ABSTRACT The census of nomadic populations poses a challenge for governing authorities. In 1945, ... more ABSTRACT The census of nomadic populations poses a challenge for governing authorities. In 1945, the British Mandatory government of Palestine developed a novel method to enumerate the nomadic Bedouin population of the Negev. By using aerial reconnaissance photography to augment conventional methods, they counted the tents of the tribesmen and marked them on a small scale map. This represented the culmination of years of British efforts to estimate the nomadic population of Palestine's largest administrative area, the Beersheba subdistrict of the Negev Desert, between 1917 and 1948. The aims of this paper were to chronicle, examine, and evaluate the British Mandatory estimates and censuses of the Bedouin population of the Negev undertaken in 1922, 1931, and 1946, and to compare them with their aerial survey of Bedouin tents in 1945. This study brings together a body of primary source material to examine a topic that has not been adequately addressed by researchers, and briefly touches on British strategic interests to invest in this activity. We assess the importance and accuracy of this mapping as well as its implications for the study of the Bedouin population of the Negev.
Middle Eastern Studies, 2014
ABSTRACT This paper traces the history and development of Catholic real estate ownership in Pales... more ABSTRACT This paper traces the history and development of Catholic real estate ownership in Palestine/Israel, uses of the properties, and the impact on the physical and cultural landscapes and on identity formation of the local population. It takes a long-term perspective, beginning with the return, after a short absence, of the Franciscans to the Holy Land in the fourteenth century and ending with the present position of the Catholic Church and the properties of its various sects and orders. It examines the history of the Catholic Church in Palestine/Israel under the Ottoman, British, Jordanian, Egyptian and Israeli regimes. In contrast to the large body of existing scholarship on the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, this examination of the local history of the Catholic Church views it through the prism of land ownership and properties. The landholdings of the Catholics are compared and contrasted with findings of previous studies by authors on those of the Greek-Orthodox and Anglican churches. Special attention is paid to the differences in frameworks, functions and geographic dispersal of the church organs, such as monasteries and educational institutions as well as the property of the local Arab Greek-Catholics. The article also examines the effect of Arabization of the Catholic clergy in relation to the lands owned by the Catholic Church and finds that, unlike other churches in the Holy Land, the Catholic Church has not generally experienced ethnic-related dissent over property.
Levant, 2013
ABSTRACT The Muslim tombs of local saints and prophets were an integral part of the landscape of ... more ABSTRACT The Muslim tombs of local saints and prophets were an integral part of the landscape of British Mandate Palestine. They were ubiquitous and significant; located in almost all parts of the region, from the slopes of the Hermon Mountain in the north, to the Negev Desert in the south. These shrines were found in cities, towns and countryside, extending from the shores of the Mediterranean to the Great Rift Valley. However, no systematic study of their extent or significant analysis of the monuments has been undertaken. Using British period maps and additional sources from the 1930–40s, this study analyses almost 800 Muslim tombs and sanctuaries. Through comparison with the Palestine Exploration Fund survey of the 1870s and other sources from the Late Ottoman Period, the article identifies patterns associated with these tombs, including their history and, in some cases, their origins and the changes that they underwent during this period. Case studies of different regions and analysis of the physical and geographical location of the monuments also sheds light on their significance in various regions of Palestine and to different population groups.
Digest of Middle East Studies, 2013
ABSTRACT In the late Ottoman and Mandatory periods, Palestine's rural landscape underwent... more ABSTRACT In the late Ottoman and Mandatory periods, Palestine's rural landscape underwent a great transformation. This study examines how the Muslim population expanded beyond its traditional inhabitation in the highlands and settled the fluid inventory of marginal lands in the coastal plains and unpopulated valleys of Palestine. In settling these marginal landscapes their settlement dovetailed with Jewish settlement patterns. While most studies have emphasized the competitive aspect of this process, examining Zionist and Arab national claims, this research points to a different aspect of this new settlement—mainly how much the Jewish and Muslim settlement patterns mirrored one another and how they were part of similar physical processes and complemented one another. Relying on censuses, aerial photographs, and period maps, as well as other archival sources, this is the first systematic research to examine the full extent of new Muslim settlements in Palestine in the late Ottoman and Mandatory periods, and to draw parallels between this phenomenon and the settlement endeavors of the Zionists.
A look at the Iran tensions and Israel in May 2018, a reported piece from the field.
The United States has engaged in several years of war in Iraq against the Islamic State (IS) sinc... more The United States has engaged in several years of war in Iraq against the Islamic State (IS) since launching Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve in October 2014. The United States estimates that they have killed more than 60,000 IS members, conducted more than 22,000 airstrikes and trained more than 100,000 security forces throughout Iraq. The successful U.S. campaign is in contrast to past operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere and is best encapsulated in the " by, with, and through " approach of letting Iraqis lead operations. This bottom-up approach is tactically successful but is short on strategy, opening the door for Iranian influence in Iraq. The United States is modeling other counterterror operations throughout the world on its Iraq success with other " build partner capacity " programs. Based on two years of fieldwork and interviews, this article examines both the tactical successes and policy implications of the U.S. successes against IS in Iraq.
A presentation on the Middle East in 2017 and challenges for 2018 regarding strategy, Iran, the K... more A presentation on the Middle East in 2017 and challenges for 2018 regarding strategy, Iran, the Kurds and other essential issues
A Presentation to Kurdish Forum, Tel Aviv University
A look at Israel's cyber training in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and cyber warfare as well as... more A look at Israel's cyber training in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and cyber warfare as well as other computer science applications in the military and history of military use of computers in Israel.
Two years after the anti-racism protests in Israel a new government project has sought to make ma... more Two years after the anti-racism protests in Israel a new government project has sought to make major reforms. A report on its progress.
The Jerusalem Post, 2017
Although UNESCO and Israel have rocky relations, the number of World Heritage sites in the countr... more Although UNESCO and Israel have rocky relations, the number of World Heritage sites in the country has increased in recent years, bringing tourism and a focus on conservation. However, politics seem to always get in the way, and Israel's relationship with the organization is not set to improve any time soon • SETH J. FRANTZMAN
A look at how Israel trains submarine crews
For two years Kurdish peshmerga, the forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government, have been fight... more For two years Kurdish peshmerga, the forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government, have been fighting Islamic State on the hills and plains around Mosul. Since reconquering Sinjar city in the fall of 2015, frontlines have inched closer to the Iraqi capital of ISIS. However politics and the progress of the Iraqi army have hampered a final push for the liberation of the city. As forces close in towards the end of 2016 it is clear that this final battle for the city could determine the future of Iraq and will be key to Kurds determining their future. This strains relations between Baghdad and Erbil and also concerns regional powers such as Turkey and Iran.
*This article was written for presentation at a Rudaw conference in October, 2016; it has the drawback of being written before the Mosul offensive began on October 17 and does not take it into account.
A look inside the coup attempt in Turkey in mid-July 2016, includes details of US state departmen... more A look inside the coup attempt in Turkey in mid-July 2016, includes details of US state department cables on Gulen movement, and examination of how the coup coordinators organized on the night of coup, as well as implications of the coup, and interviews with witnesses.
Putting it on the table. Joint List leader Ayman Odeh.
Jordan has 1 million Syrian refugees, how is it coping and what does the future hold?
Man and Machine: The Merkava III and the 188th Brigade A look inside the Merkava III Israeli main... more Man and Machine: The Merkava III and the 188th Brigade A look inside the Merkava III Israeli main battle tank after 25 years in service.
A look at Senegal in March of 2016, including regional security, sustainable-development and Isra... more A look at Senegal in March of 2016, including regional security, sustainable-development and Israel-Senegal relations
The IDF includes a unit of field intelligence that functions as a combat unit using special tacti... more The IDF includes a unit of field intelligence that functions as a combat unit using special tactics to track down enemies in urban and rural environments.
An article looking at the Kurdish peshmerga and the war on ISIS that began last August 3, with ex... more An article looking at the Kurdish peshmerga and the war on ISIS that began last August 3, with exclusive interviews from Kirkuk and Shingal.
Interview with Vager Saadullah about the liberation of the Yezidi town of Shingal/Sinjar in Novem... more Interview with Vager Saadullah about the liberation of the Yezidi town of Shingal/Sinjar in November, 2015 by Kurdish peshmerga forces and allies.
The Lions of Jordan, a coed infantry battalion is being deployed to the Jordan Valley after train... more The Lions of Jordan, a coed infantry battalion is being deployed to the Jordan Valley after training, this article takes a closer look.
During the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, Israeli local authorities worked with Bedouin towns in the s... more During the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, Israeli local authorities worked with Bedouin towns in the south to host several local events; here is a preview of them.
Amidst the recent spike in stabbing attacks in Jerusalem, Israel deployed a 1,000 more police in ... more Amidst the recent spike in stabbing attacks in Jerusalem, Israel deployed a 1,000 more police in a city whose riot police have been stretched to the breaking point. This article includes interviews with officers and spokesmen and a look inside the new measures the police put in place in October of 2015.
A baptism site popular with Christian tourists on the Jordan River has received UNESCO recognitio... more A baptism site popular with Christian tourists on the Jordan
River has received UNESCO recognition in Jordan, but more
tourists flock to the Israeli-run side
Review of Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila al-Shami's new book on the Syrian war
Once thought almost a failed state, Iraq has emerged from the chaos of ISIS to hold successful el... more Once thought almost a failed state, Iraq has emerged from the chaos of ISIS to hold successful elections in which Muqtada al-Sadr took the most votes
A report on Senegal, sustainable development, relations with Israel and current politics.
Presentation to Spring of Hope conference, Jerusalem on March in Mishkenot Sha'ananim on the impo... more Presentation to Spring of Hope conference, Jerusalem on March in Mishkenot Sha'ananim on the importance of recognize the the Yazidi genocide.
In the recent elections in the US various views have been advanced about why mass media did not p... more In the recent elections in the US various views have been advanced about why mass media did not predict the rise of Donald Trump. This has led to a round of renewed critique of mass media and suggestions on what is wrong with the way people receive their information via the fifth estate of online social media and pundits. There is also a critique of how journalists gather information. This new research provides several paradigms for analyzing media failure and insights into truths about where media blindspots lead to narratives fed to the public. It looks at the industry as a whole, the twenty year shift to online media content, and how content is generated.