The article examines notions of settlement, colonialism, and indigeneity, and their relevance for the case of Israel/Palestine. With a focus on the pre-1948 period, it looks at how the Palestinian-Arab national movement and the Zionist movement offered different understandings of the process of Jewish immigration into the country and the opposing political claims that were raised in that historical context. It concludes with a discussion of the crucial role of the 1948 Nakba for future relations between the two ethno-national groups in the country, as it set the stage for the social and political conflicts that have plagued the state of Israel since its inception.

Statement by editorial staff of Medaon, 07.07.2017: The article “Settler colonialism and Indigeneity: the Case of Israel/Palestine” by Ran Greenstein (published in issue 11 (2017), 20) induced a controverse debate within the staff of Medaon. We explicitly declare that a part of the editoral staff is not behind this article. A comprehensive response will be published in issue 12 (2018), 22 in spring 2018.