Since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, Palestinians have spread out across the region - in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, as well as the occupied territories of Israel itself. Beginning with World War I, and across the geographical borders of their diaspora, this volume explores the evolution of a Palestinian national identity that developed in spite of, and in some cases because of, the obstacles it faced. It illuminates the sources of collective Palestinian identity from the late Ottoman Empire onward: religious beliefs; ethnic backgrounds; local loyalties; education; and external forces such as Zionism.