History in the headlines: the United States’ role in the Israel and Palestine conflict
Dr. Salim Yaqub of UC Santa Barbara will lead a discussion on the historic conflict between Israel and Palestine, focusing on the United States’ role and position since 1967.
Dr. Yaqub specializes in the history of US involvement in the Middle East in the postwar era.
His lecture will take place in Liberal Arts Room 120 on February 22 at 7 p.m. Attending this lecture will bring clarity to attendees’ understanding of the ongoing and historical wars in the region.
Many people struggle to understand the reasons for Israel and Palestine’s dispute
Israelis and Palestinians have long been competing for claims to the Holy Land, a Middle Eastern region with religious significance.
As a result of World War I, during which the Allies began to carve out spheres of influence in what had been the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires, a section of the Ottoman Empire encompassing the area now known as Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank was given to Great Britain to govern as the British Mandate of Palestine. The area remained under British rule for the next 25 years, and during that time, Great Britain and Zionist groups from Europe and around the world made efforts to create a Jewish Homeland in Palestine. They had planned to do so beginning in 1917 during negotiations to recreate the Empire after the “war to end all wars.”
Before and during the Holocaust, many Western nations refused refugee or immigration status to Jews trying to escape Nazi persecution. Instead, they directed Jews to the Mandate of Palestine, with various entities passing resolutions to allow unlimited immigration to Palestine and zero immigration by Jews to other territories. Between 1933 and 1939, Palestinians who had been living in the mandated area for centuries rebelled against the British and the continued immigration into the area by European Jews.
In 1947, Britain relinquished control of the area by placing it into the hands of the United Nations, and the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 181(II) which called to divide Palestine into an unnamed “Jewish State” and an unnamed “Arab State,” with Jerusalem under UN trusteeship.
Britain officially gave up the territory in May of 1948, and the first Israeli-Arab war started along with forced Palestinian relocation that same month as the nation of Israel was created.
In 1949, Israel signed armistice agreements with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria and joined the UN as a member nation.
In 1950, Israel moved its capital from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in defiance of UN resolutions for international control of the Holy City claimed by three major religions. The West Bank was brought formally under Jordanian control.
In 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was founded in Cairo and recognized by the UN as the voice of the Palestinian state.
In 1967, the Six-Day War brought about Israeli occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, Golan Heights, and the Sinai Peninsula.
Dr. Salim Yaqub’s lecture will discuss the events and conflicts from 1967 on, focusing on the role of the United States throughout various efforts to create and maintain stability in the region.
Israel and Hamas, the Islamist organization that governs Gaza and vows to destroy Israel, have been at war Since October 2023. In that time, over 28,000 people, mainly Palestinians, have been killed.
This extremely complicated conflict has been ongoing for decades, and it can be difficult to understand all the nuances of the situation.
Want to understand more about the historical context of the Israel and Palestine conflict?
We hope to see you at Dr. Yaqub’s talk, but you can also learn more from a variety of reliable sources on the subject:
- Committee on Foreign Relations Timeline
- UN Timeline
- PBS Newshour
- Vox on Israel and Palestine historical context
- Dr. Yaqub’s book chapter: “The Weight of Conquest: Henry Kissinger and the Arab-Israeli Conflict,” Fredrik Logevall and Andrew Preston, eds., Nixon in the World: American Foreign Relations, 1969-1977, Oxford University Press, 2008″ from Cline Library
- Maps showing territorial changes throughout history in the Middle East
