Mandatory Palestine in 1946
Palestinian nationalism is the national movement of the Palestinian people of the Levant, seeking to establish an independent state of Palestine. The movement was formed in 1948 after the foundation of the state of Israel, as many Palestinians were forced into exile as a result of the Israeli settlers taking over their villages; they formed international communities across the Arab World, with most seeking refuge in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. The Palestine Liberation Organization was formed in 1964 with the goal of creating a secular state of Palestine, but the PLO eventually became a moderate group, seeking only to have Palestinian independence from Israel and not the state's full destruction. This led to the formation of an ultranationalist "Rejectionist Front", which rejected all talks with Israel; the PFLP, Arab Liberation Movement, and Hamas, among other groups, joined the front. Today, Palestinian nationalism is still a major issue, with terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians being a common event from the late 1960s onward.