In this essay the author focuses on the experience of the Palestinians who came under Israeli control in 1948 as well as the Palestinians' struggle to preserve their national identity despite what the author claims are efforts of Israel to create a state of hegemony through the control of the economy, society, the media, and schools. Particular attention is given to the ways in which the formal educational system for Palestinian students in Israel is structured to control and manipulate them, according to the author.