12:30 - 1:45 p.m. POSC 377

Tuesdays and Thursdays FALL 2001

320 Gore Hall Mr. Miller

Arab/Israeli Politics

The special focus of this fall's course will be upon Israel's "new historians," so dubbed for their willingness to question earlier historiography on the Zionist movement and Israel. Students are required to read three "new historians," a leading Palestinian-American scholar who is sharply critical of the Oslo peace process and the principal work of Sara Roy, who spoke on campus this past spring as a participant in the first colloquium sponsored by the newly created Center for International Studies.

As this syllabus is being drafted in mid-July, Israel/Palestine and the surrounding region teeter on the brink of escalated hostilities. The purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of the genesis of Arab/Israeli conflict to enable them to participate effectively in public policy debates attendant to the conflict. These number among the most difficult questions faced by a concerned citizen. Arab/Israeli conflict is a hugely complex subject matter which must be pared or simplified for purposes of a semester-long course.

The lectures are chronologically ordered and interweave three planes of analysis, the core conflict between Zionism and Palestinian (Arabs) for Palestine/Israel, the regional interstate conflict and great power involvement. On the Jewish holidays on September 18 and 27, a film will be shown in class which can also be viewed in the media room in the basement of Morris Library by students missing these classes due to observance of the holidays.

Students are required to write midterm and final essay-style exams. The midterm is tentatively scheduled for October 11 and will consist of a choice of two out of four identifications (20% of the grade) and a choice of two essays (80% of the grade). The two-hour final exam will be held during the assigned final exam slot and follows a similar format. This semester's writing project will focus on assessment of Motti Golani's Israel in Search of a War, a book that has stirred considerable controversy. A dear old friend of mine, who is a major figure in the study of international relations, has long coded the 1956 war as Egyptian belligerency against Israel. Golani's book raises major questions about such interpretation, which has long shaped American (and more broadly, Western) understanding of the history of Arab/Israeli conflict.

A great deal has been written about the 1956 war. Students are invited to compare and contrast Golani's interpretation with at least two scholarly resources on (excluding Shlaim, Morris and other new historians) the 1956 war (which may include documentary films.) In what ways does Golani's history concur or differ with interpretations by other scholars? Why are "new historians" such as Golani viewed as troubling by some, while others celebrate them? What difference does historical interpretation of bygone events make to understanding of contemporary Arab/Israeli conflict?

The paper should be typed double-spaced and not exceed twenty pages. Please reference all sources. This writing assignment is somewhat experimental in nature and requires reflection upon what constitutes credible historical interpretation versus history that distorts or misleads. How important is it to have the facts straight about Arab/Israeli conflict and what bearing ought matters like the 1956 war have upon interpretation of Arab/Israeli conflict today?

The paper is due November 27. Class evaluation is November 29, the last day of classes. The term grade will be determined as follows: midterm 20%, final 40%, paper 30%, class participation 10%. The class participation grade will be based upon student discussion of current events over the course of the semester. Each week, class time will be set aside for in class discussion of major developments.

Mr. Miller's office is in 466 Smith. His office hours are 10:15-12:15 Tuesday and Thursday and 1:00-3:00 Tuesdays. His telephone number is 831-1926. His email address is mjmiller@udel.edu

Required Books

Avi Shlaim, War and Peace in the Middle East, Penguin, 1995.

Benny Morris, Righteous Victims, Knopf, 1999.

Sara Roy, The Gaza Strip, Institute for Palestine Studies, 1995.

Motti Golani, Israel in Search of a War, Sussex Academic Press.

Edward W. Said, The End of the Peace Process, Vintage, 2001.

Recommended films

(on reserve in Morris Library and also

available in media viewing room)

Tkuma

50 Year War

Palestinian Intifada

Tentative schedule of lectures and readings

* - hardback pagination may differ in paper

August 28 pass out syllabus, preliminary observations,

Shlaim, 1-26

August 30 European Jewry and the early Zionist movement

Morris, 3-36*

Sept. 4 World War I and the Balfour Declaration

Morris, 37-76

Sept. 6 British conquest and the troubles of 1919/20

Morris, 76-106

Sept. 11 The British Mandate and Nazi seizure of power

Morris, 106-128

Roy 31-63

Sept. 13 Arab revolt, World War II, Holocaust

Morris, 128-176

Sept. 18 (Rosh Hashanah) film: The 50 Year War

film Roy, 3-30

Shlaim, 27-36

Sept. 20 First Arab/Israeli War

Morris, 177-258

Sept. 25 1956 War

Morris, 259-301

Sept. 27 (Yom Kippur) film: the 50 Year War

film Roy, 65-101

Oct. 2 1967 War

Morris, 302-346

Oct. 4 Palestinian resistance and Black September

Morris, 347-386

Roy, 103-153

Oct. 9 1973 War

Morris, 387-443

Oct. 11 midterm exam

Oct. 16 Lebanon and Camp David

Morris, 444-516

Oct. 18 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and U.S. intervention

Morris, 516-560

Oct. 23 Israel and the occupied territories

Roy, 161-261

Oct. 25 Intifada

Morris, 561-610

Roy, 263-308

Oct. 30 The Gulf War

Shlaim, 37-103

Roy, 309-319

Nov. 1 Madrid

Morris 611-651

Shlaim, 104-146

Nov. 6 Critics of Oslo

Said, introduction, 3-43

Nov. 8 Future of the settlements

Said, 44-112

Nov. 13 Future of Palestinian refugees

Said, 113-199

Nov. 15 Future of Jerusalem

Said, 200-248

Nov. 20 Wye and Camp David

Said, 249-363

Nov. 22 Thanksgiving vacation

Nov. 27 final thoughts

Morris 652-669

Roy, 323-332

Nov. 29 Class evaluation