DHIS 23A00 - Introduction to the Palestinian question

This undergraduate course is designed as an introduction to one of the most debated issues in contemporary history. It does not pretend to cover all the complex and multi-faceted developments of the Israeli-Arab conflict, but it is dedicated to the understanding, description and interpretation of the various phases of the so-called “Palestinian question”. Each session will address one critical period of this one-century long historical cycle. 1. Palestine through History Krämer, chapters 2 and 6. 2. The beginning of the British mandate (1922-36) Khalidi, chapter 2, Krämer, chapters 8 and 9. 3. The « Great Arab Revolt » and WWII (1936-45) Presentation : the « Great Arab Revolt » (1936-39) Khalidi, chapter 3. 4. The foundation of Israel (1945-49) Presentation : the UN partition plan of Palestine (1947) Morris, chapters 3, 4 and 5. 5. The Arab occultation of Palestine (1949-67) Presentation : the Egyptian policy towards Palestine from 1949 to 1956 Jean-Pierre Filiu, « The origins of Hamas », in Journal of Palestine Studies, n°163, Spring 2012. 6. From the Six-Day War to the October War (1967-74) Presentation : the June 67 war short-term impact on the Palestinian question Shlaim, chapters 8 and 26. 7. The Lebanese crisis (1975-82) Presentation : PLO in Lebanon in 1975-76 David Hirst, Beware of small states, New York, Nation Books, 2010, chapters 5 and 6. 8. Divisions and intifada (1983-90) Presentation : the pro-Syrian « dissidence » (1983-85) Jean-Pierre Filiu, Gaza, a history, London: Hurst, 2014, chapters 11 and 12. 9. Madrid, Oslo and the peace process (1991-95) Presentation : the Palestinian dimension of the Madrid peace conference Khalidi, chapter 5. 10. The crisis of the Palestinian Authority (1996-2000) Presentation : Netanyahu's policy towards the peace process (1996-99) Shaul Mishal and Avraham Sela, The Palestinian Hamas, New York, Columbia University Press, 2000, chapters 5 et 6. 11. The Second intifada (2000-06) Presentation : the re-occupation of the West Bank in 2002 Shlaim, chapters 22 and 23. 12. One Palestine against another (2006-20) Presentation : the Palestinian « civil war » in Gaza (2006-07) Sara Roy: « Key paradigm shifts in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict », in Journal of Palestine Studies, n°163, Spring 2012.

Jean-Pierre FILIU

Séminaire

English

Autumn 2021-2022

• 1 oral presentation (50% of course mark) • 1 take-home exam (50% of course mark)