The term return is used in the English texts of contemporary Palestinian political authors writing on the Right of Return of Palestinians to their homes and homeland. The first part of this article is dedicated to a semantic analysis of return as a radial category with a core meaning and extensions. The meanings of return in these texts as used in the discourse of Palestinian maximalists versus pragmatists are then discussed. It is shown that: (1) different meanings of return are selected according to whether the writer is a maximalist or a pragmatist, and (2) a reality that harmonizes with these meanings is narratively constructed.
Abunimah, A. (2006) One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. New York: Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt.
2.
Abu-Sitta, S.H. (1999) Palestinian Right to Return: Sacred, Legal, and Possible. London: Palestinian Return Centre.
3.
Abu-Sitta, S.H. (2001) The End of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: From Refugees to Citizens at Home. London: Palestine Land Society and Palestine Return Centre.
4.
Abu-Sitta, S.H. (2004) Atlas of Palestine 1948. London : Palestine Land Society.
5.
Abu-Zayyad, Z. (1994) `The Palestinian Right of Return: A Realistic Approach', Palestine- Israel Journal of Politics, Economics and Culture1(2): 74-8.
6.
Eldar, A. (2002) `The Refugee Problem at Taba: Akiva Eldar Interviews Yossi Beilin and Nabil Sha'ath', Palestine-Israel Journal of Politics, Economics and Culture9(2): 12-23.
7.
Husayni, F. (1989) `Interview with Faysal Husayni', Journal of Palestine Studies18(4): 3-17.
8.
Khalidi, R. (1994) `Toward a Solution', in Palestinian Refugees: Their Problem and Future. Washington DC: The Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine.
9.
Kuzar, R. (forthcoming) `A Jewish and Democratic State: The Zionist Basis for Territorial Concessions', Journal of Language and Politics .
10.
Lakoff, G. (1987) Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things: What Categories Reveal about the Mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
11.
Massad, J. (2001) `Return or Permanent Exile', in N. Aruri (ed.) Palestinian Refugees: The Right of Return, pp. 105-22. London: Pluto Press.
12.
Qumsiyeh, M.B. (2004) Sharing the Land of Canaan: Human Rights and the Israeli-Palestinian Struggle. London: Pluto Press.
13.
Sapir, E. (1944) `Grading: A Study in Semantics', Philosophy of Science11: 93-116.
14.
Shaath, N. (1992) `Reflections on the Peace Process: An Interview with Nabil Shaath', Journal of Palestine Studies22(1): 70-7.
15.
Tamari, S. (2002) `Narratives of Exile', Palestine-Israel Journal9(4): 101-9.
16.
Wierzbicka, A. (1972) Semantic Primitives. Frankfurt : Atheneum.
