The US and the Palestinians

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

The United States and the Palestinians: From Balfour to the Present This course looks at the role of the United States in the Israel/Palestine conflict since the time of the Balfour Declaration, with a particular focus on the nature and evolution of U.S. policy and American political attitudes toward Palestine and the Palestinians over the last century. In addition to covering the origins and evolution of the Israel/Palestine conflict at various stages, the course will also look at the development of the modern Palestinian national movement—from its emergence in the years following Israel’s creation in 1948 and the ensuing Palestinian refugee crisis, through the trials and tribulations of the PLO in the 1970s and 80s, until the present-day schism between Fatah and Hamas—as well as the history of U.S. attempts to resolve the conflict diplomatically, especially since the signing of the 1993 Oslo Declaration of Principles. Specifically, the course will examine the interplay between the U.S.-led peace process and internal Palestinian politics—how the Oslo process affected Palestinian political leaders and institutions and how the decisions by and constraints on Palestinian political actors in turn affected prospects for a diplomatic resolution. The course will conclude by examining U.S. policy and prospects for a peaceful settlement following the effective collapse of the peace process and the Trump administration’s adoption of a dramatically different approach to the conflict.