Aliyah:  Immigration of Jews to Israel; literally "ascent." Persons who make aliyah are called olim.

Arab League:  Federation comprised of Arab states stretching from North Africa to the Persian Gulf.

Ashkenazi:  Jew with roots traced to northern and eastern Europe, primarily from regions in modern day Germany, Poland and Russia.

Diaspora:  Jewish dispersion or exile from the Land of Israel. Also the term used to refer to Jews and Jewish communities living worldwide beyond the borders of the State of Israel.

Eretz Israel:  Hebrew for the Land of Israel.

Fatah : Largest, mainstream faction of the PLO, led by Yasser Arafat, which supports the organization's peace negotiations with Israel.

Green Line:  The "border" separating pre-1967 Israel from the West Bank.

Haganah : The Jewish underground army. Formed during the British Mandate, it was the forerunner to the Israel Defense Force.

Hamas:  Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement, a Sunni Muslim fundamentalist group that rejects all discussion with Israel, including the current Israeli-PLO negotiations. Responsible for many terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and Palestinian "collaborators" with Israel.

Hezbollah (Party of God): Iranian-backed Islamic fundamentalist terrorist organization, based in predominantly Shi'ite areas of southern Lebanon, that has launched numerous attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians. Hezbollah has also attacked Western targets: among other terrorist acts, Hezbollah was responsible for the 1983 car bomb attack on the U.S. Marine Command in Beirut.

Intifada:  Palestinian uprising against Israel, launched in December 1987, after rumors spread that four Palestinians killed in a traffic accident had been killed by Israelis in a purposeful act of revenge for the fatal stabbing of an Israeli shopper in Gaza. The intifada is credited with bringing the Palestinian desire for self-determination to worldwide media attention.  The Second Intifada began in October 2000 after Sharon walked on the Temple Mount.

Islamic Jihad:  Sunni Muslim guerrilla organization reported to have close ties with Iran. Islamic Jihad appears to be united in its opposition to territorial or political compromise with Israel.

Israel Defense Force (IDF): The combined army, navy, and air force of Israel, founded with the state in 1948.

Jihad:  Centuries-old Arabic term translated literally as "holy war" or "struggle." In recent years, Muslim fighters, especially in the Arab-Israeli conflict, have used the term almost solely to mean "holy war," often waged through terrorist attacks on civilians.

Judea and Samaria:  Biblical names of the region today known collectively as the West Bank.

Kashrut (Kosher Laws):  Jewish dietary laws that forbid the consumption of certain foods, such as pork and shell fish, as well as the eating of meat or chicken with dairy products, and describe the method of ritual slaughtering of animals.

Katyusha : Russian made short-range missiles used frequently by Hezbollah to shell towns in northern Israel. The rockets have a poor guidance system and are fired indiscriminately over the border at civil population centers from Syrian-controlled positions in Lebanon.

Kibbutz:  Communal settlement. Originally farming communities, kibbutzim have become increasingly industrial.

Occupied Territories:  Lands under Israeli control since their capture in Arab-Israeli conflicts. The territories today include the majority of land in the West Bank, portions of the Gaza Strip, as well as the entire Golan Heights.

Operation Solomon: 1991 Israeli air-lift in which nearly 14,000 Ethiopian Jews were brought to Israel in a single day.

Orient House:  Eastern Jerusalem building, owned by the prominent Husseini family, that has served as an informal center for Palestinian activities over the years. Recently, members of the Palestinian National Authority (PA), which seeks to establish its capital in Jerusalem, have received foreign dignitaries at Orient House in an apparent attempt to create a symbol of Palestinian sovereignty over Jerusalem.

Palestine: Term first applied to the Biblical land of Canaan by the Judean kingdom's second-century Roman conquerors in an attempt to minimize the land's identification with the Jews. The word is derived from the Philistines, who settled the region in the 12th century B.C.E. Prior to the creation of the State of Israel, the term "Palestine" referred to the mandate awarded to Britain by the League of Nations in 1922 and was maintained until Israel's establishment in 1948.

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO):  Founded in 1964 and led by Yasser Arafat since 1969 to his death in 2004, the organization was originally formed in resistance to the State of Israel and has been linked to terrorist activities in the past. The PLO has, in recent years, recognized Israel's right to exist and renounced terrorism.

Palestinian National Council (PNC):  The 638-member legislative branch of the PLO, composed of elected and appointed members of the various PLO and Palestinian factions worldwide.

Palestinian National Authority (PA):  Established under the Declaration of Principles, the PA consists of 87 members, all directly elected by Palestinians in the self-rule areas. The Authority is mandated by the PNC to govern the autonomous regions of Gaza and Jericho, and its members also serve on the PNC.

Palestinians:  Although anyone with roots in the land that is now Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza is technically a Palestinian, the term is more commonly used to refer to Arabs with such roots.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP):  Marxist, Syrian-based PLO faction, led by George Habash, that rejects the current Israeli-PLO peace process.

Sabra:  The fruit of a cactus found in the region, it refers to a Jew born in the State of Israel.

Sephardi: Jew who traces his or her heritage to countries around the Mediterranean Sea, as well as France and the Iberian peninsula.

Shi'ite:  Muslim with the belief that Ali, nephew and son-in-law of Mohammed, is the rightful and legitimate successor to Mohammed. Shi'ism focuses on the direct blood descendants of Mohammed through Ali and Fatima, Mohammed's daughter, whom they perceive as the true leaders of the religion.

Sinai Peninsula:  Desert region located to Israel's southwest.

Souq:  Arabic word for market.

Sunni:  Muslim distinguished from Shi'ites in the belief that the first four successors to Mohammed are the rightful leaders. Sunnis do not recognize Ali as legitimate. They are often referred to as "orthodox" due to their strict adherence to the line of successors descending from Mohammed himself.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 242:  1967 resolution laying out the principle of land for peace. The resolution calls for the "[w]ithdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict," as well as for the Arab states to recognize that "every State in the area" has the "right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force."

United Nations Security Council Resolution 338: 1973 UNSC resolution calling for the cease-fire in the Yom Kippur War, the implementation of UNSC Resolution 242, and negotiations between the parties involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

West Bank: Territory west of the Jordan River often referred to by its Biblical names, Judea and Samaria. This land is home to a Palestinian population of over 1.5 million, as well as 130,000 Jewish residents.

Western Wall (Kotel): The Wall is the largest section of the Second Temple Mount that is still standing following the Temple's destruction by the Roman Legion in 70 C.E.

Yeshiva:  Jewish religious seminary.