Judaic Studies 290STA - The Iron Wall: Arab-Israel

This course examines the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, beginning with the roots of the conflict during the British Mandate for Palestine through Israel?s wars with neighboring Arab states from 1948 through 1973. Under the Mandate, from 1917 through early 1948, Palestine's Arab and Jewish communities repeatedly clashed for control over the land, culminating in the Palestine Civil War in the spring of 1948. Following the creation of the state in 1948, Israel fought repeated wars with neighboring Arab states in 1956, 1967, and 1973. This course considers the evolution of this conflict from a Palestine Civil War to external wars between states. Further, the course will consider the wider context of events in the Middle East, including the impact of the Cold War on the conflict, the Egyptian intervention in Yemen in the 1960s, and the rise of terrorism in the 1970s. Beyond strategic and tactical questions, the course will also consider the impact of the conflict on Israeli and Arab societies, both Palestinian and external.