Current Event: Palestine Conflict

Palestine:

The region of Palestine may finally be on it's way to fully legitimate statehood after the United Nation's General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of accepting the territory as a nonmember observer. If you have not seen the news, ThinkProgress gives a great review of the conflict and recent vote. (http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/11/29/1259401/palestine-un-vote/?mobile=nc )

So now the question is what does this new status entail and how it will alter Palestine's role vs Israel and within the International Community?

 Ryan Boudwin, the author of an insightful "Rant Political" blog (http://rantpolitical.com/2012/12/02/un-recognizes-palestine-what-does-it-mean/) raises four or five important ramifications. First, it represents an important victory for Abbas who leads the political party in search of a diplomatic resolution to the conflict instead of the more extreme party of Hamas. In relation to the U.N it shows that there is extreme support for statehood and furthermore Palestine now can be apart of important global institutions such as the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC could be influential in trying both Palestinians and Israelis army officials who have resorted to radical means of violence. In conclusion, although this recognition will now dramatically change anything on the ground it represents an important symbol for change and Palestine legitimacy. 

For the sake of this blog theme, the next question to ask is what constitutes the culture and cuisine of Palestine that make it unique?

Palestine largely represents a melting pot of cultures due to its geographically conflicting location, and this is emphasized within its culture. The primary language of the territories is Arabic but Hebrew and Armenian speakers are also very prevalent. Palestine has overtime forged a muslim influenced culture that is closely knit with it's neighbors Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. This influence of neighbors and history also is illustrated through their food's. Palestinian cuisine consists of typical muslim dishes but with a lasting Persian and Ottoman influence. Two staple foods include the "Kibbeh" and "Taboon" bread. Kibbeh is a made of burghul, minced onions and ground red meat, usually beef, lamb, or goat. The best-known variety is a torpedo-shaped fried croquette stuffed with minced beef or lamb.While Taboon bread is a flatbread wrap that Taboon bread is sold as street food, stuffed with hummus, falafel or shaved meat.

If you have further interest in the culture of Palestine and the ongoing conflict check out these sources that I drew from:

1.) http://www.mapsofworld.com/palestine/society-and-culture/

2.) http://www.science.co.il/History-Palestine.php

3.) http://travel.mapsofworld.com/palestine/cuisine-of-palestine.html