The next generation: Old and new trends among the youth in Palestinian society

There is sparse information available in modern-day research into Palestinian society on the Palestinian youth sector even though this sector makes up approximately 30 % of the Palestinian population. Palestinian youth are defined as Palestinians between the ages of 15-29. In actual numbers, today’s Palestinian youth are approximately 1.5 million people of a total West Bank and Gaza Strip population of 4.5 million. This makes it a very significant sector in Palestinian society. Understanding the feelings of this sector provides us with a possible view of the future direction of Palestinian society. The purpose of this research is to present a look at the current trends in Palestinian society. This research examines Palestinian social trends such as the integration of women into the Palestinian marketplace and workforce, the participation of youth in the workplace, the political influence of the youth in the various Palestinian organizations, and the youth’s degree of commitment to the national struggle as expressed by the “lone wolf intifada.” The exposure of the Palestinian youth to, and their involvement in technology, will create new opportunities and trends that will influence the internal functioning of Palestinian organizations as well as the future of the Arab-Israeli conflict. This research centers on these developing social trends, the majority of which are mostly internal Palestinian ones, and how they will affect the Palestinian future.