Peacemaker USA? (PDF)

Inhaltsangabe:Abstract:
When Eretz Israel was founded under David Ben-Gurion in 1948, its existence was immediately recognized by President Truman and the United States of America. Following this historic date, a strong and profound relationship developed between the two states, deepening over the years. With the inauguration of President Bill Clinton in 1993, a new era began: in the following years, Clinton made the peace process in the Middle East one of his top priorities in foreign policy. The United States became the trusted mediator between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, two parties that had refused to negotiate for years.
Numerous critics and especially the Arab nations hold the Jewish lobby in Washington responsible for the exceptional American engagement in the Middle East, while others assume that this engagement is mainly due to U.S. strategic interests and the growing importance of Arab oil. Throughout the years, the United States have constantly tried to accomplish a balance between their commitment to the state of Israel while keeping their strategic interest in the Arab world in mind. Owing to the hostilities and the continuing violence in the Middle Eastern region, the Americans were of the opinion that merely a lasting peace settlement between Arabs and Israelis could secure their interests.
The following thesis focuses on the role of U.S. Middle East policy during the Clinton administration, centering on the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis. It will question whether the United States, and particularly Bill Clinton, functioned as a peacemaker between the hostile parties and achieved significant progress in the peace process. Beginning with an illustration of the historical facts, we will take a closer look at the origins of biblical Israel, the emergence of the name Palestine, and the role of Palestine in World War I. Furthermore, the work deals with the establishment of the Jewish state and the subsequent wars with surrounding Arab nations.
The third chapter attends to the Palestinians and their national movement which was dominantly influenced by the appearance of Yasser Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization. It will also investigate the question of whether the Palestinians can be viewed as a lever of the Arab states and to which extent the Arab nations play a role in the conflict. Subsequently, the focus will be on the United States and its traditional close relationship with Israel, in [...]