15366

WiSe 16/17: Perspectives on the Israeli Palestinian Conflict

Ahmed Badawi

Comments

Course Description The course provides an introduction to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It looks at some of the key historical documents (political and legal) that have outlined the contours of the conflict from the end of World War I, passing through Israel’s Independence/Palestinian Nakba until the present. In addition to tracing the main historical evolution of the conflict, the course also looks analytically at some of the so-called “final status issues”, such as refugees, settlements and Jerusalem. Learning Outcomes and Purposes This is an introductory course intended to provide the students with knowledge of the main historical developments that shaped the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It encourages the students to critically and analytically examine some of the key primary documents related to the conflict (e.g. Balfour Declaration, UN General Assembly Resolution 194, the Charter of Hamas, etc.). Each week, the students, aided by secondary sources, shall engage in discussions facilitated by the course instructors about a key event or issue, the main actors involved and the impact of the event or issue under discussion on the dynamics of the conflict. The course will provide a sufficient background for those students who wish to undertake further study of the Israeli Palestinian conflict or pursue a professional career in a relevant field. Given the highly polarising nature of the conflict, the course aims at helping the students to critically engage with the complexity of this protracted conflict, and to trace its evolution through a careful analysis of the key relevant primary and secondary literature. This should allow the students to develop their skills as unbiased political analysts capable of providing nuanced explanations of the core conflict issues and the contradictory positions of the two main conflict parties. close