In what context did raqs (“belly dance” or “danse du ventre”) originate?

This Discussion Board will review concepts covered in the essay The Belly Dance: Ancient Ritual to Cabaret Performance (Helland, 2001) and Chapter 2 of Dance and Authenticity in Israel and Palestine (Kaschl, 2003) [AVAILABLE ON BLACKBOARD in ADDITIONAL READINGS]. 

1. In what context did raqs (“belly dance” or “danse du ventre”) originate?  According to Helland (2001) how did social perceptions of raqs change across the millennia and why?  Are these social perceptions fair?
2. According to Kaschl (2003) why did Eastern European Jews seek to create a new national dance form outside of Germanic and Eastern European social dances during the creation of the Israeli consciousness and state?  How and why did Palestinians respond to this?