Palestinian terminology guide
The Palestinian terminology guide is the book Terminology in Media, Culture and Politics, an instructional book released by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Information advising terminology to be used when describing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The guide aims to replace "the Israeli and American dissemination of poisoned terms" with new phrases and euphemisms.
The book's introduction states that this collection of terms can be an "important addition to our ongoing struggle, since the beginning of the previous century, to chase away the occupation and the establishment of our independent Palestinian state."[1][2]
Advised replacement terms
According to a translation performed by Palestinian Media Watch, the manual states that one should replace the term "Israel", which lends legitimacy to its existence and instead use terms like "Israeli colonialism" or "the Israeli colonialist occupation." The manual also advises other substitutions; "resistance" replaces the term "terror" and "legitimate resistance" replaces "Palestinian violence."[3]
| Israeli term | Palestinian term |
|---|---|
| Star of David | Six-pointed star |
| Wailing (Western) Wall | Al-Buraq Wall |
| Temple Mount | Noble Sanctuary of Jerusalem |
| Suicide bombing | Martyrdom-seeking operation |
| Israeli Minister of Defense | Israeli Minister of War |
| Israeli Defense Forces | Israeli occupation forces |
| Disputed territory | Occupied territory |
| PA autonomous areas | Liberated Palestinian territory |
| Israel | The Israeli colonialist occupation |
Criticism
The Palestinian Media Watch stated that the book demonstrated the Palestinian Authority’s denial of Israel’s right to exist and criticised the glorification of the murder of Israeli and Jewish civilians as "resistance".[4][2]
