Position Paper Topics
In researching materials for your position paper, draw upon class readings but also relevant library and on-line resources. A good starting point is the multi-volume collection of articles edited by Ian Lustick, Arab-Israeli Relations (DS 119.7 A67266). The volumes are organized topically so it shouldn't be too difficult to zero-in on the articles you need.
1. Is Israel a legitimate nation-state?
a) Yes, lands acquired through legal purchases, owner
development and the spoils of war.
b) No, lands acquired/confiscated illegally, against UN
resolutions, and through external interference/support.
2. The Israeli preemptive strike
was a necessary and legitimate action in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war:
a) Yes, given the circumstances, nature of the threat, and
the escalatory actions of Nasser during the previous month.
b) No, a diplomatic resolution could have been arranged and,
in fact, was desired by Egypt, but it was scuttled by Israel's desire not to
allow another political victory for Nasser (a la 1956).
3. UN Security Council Resolution 242
created a successful framework for peace:
a) Yes, the fact that it is still the operative framework
today is a testament to its effectiveness.
b) No, it is a masterpiece of ambiguity that has allowed
various interpretations to scuttle true progress.
4. The PLO has been an able
representative of the Palestinian people:
a) Yes, it has been a legitimate, necessary and largely
successful representative of the Palestinian people that went far beyond its
original mandate.
b) No, it was a hastily formed facade that was inherently
incapable of decisive action because of its splintered development and
vulnerability to external influence.
5. Sadat's actions in the 1973
Arab-Israeli war were brilliant:
a) Yes, the fact that he caught Israel off guard by engaging
in a limited war allowed him to obtain his pre-war objectives of improving his
bargaining position and reactivating diplomacy.
b) No, Sadat's gambit brought the world to the brink of a
nuclear confrontation between the superpowers and illustrated his unilateralist
approach to the Arab-Israeli problem.
6. The 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon
was Israel's "Vietnam:"
a) Yes, it was a doomed policy from the beginning, as Israel
adopted an offensive strategy and tried to play "kingmaker" in Lebanon.
b) No, it could have succeeded had Israel not extended itsw
invasion toward Beirut and stayed too long.
7. The Palestinian Intifada of 1988-1993
was a spontaneous eruption by Palestinians in the Occupied Territories:
a) Yes, it arose as a result of the frustration among
Palestinians with the ineptitude and irrelevancy of the PLO.
b) No, it was a long-simmering intensification of existing
activity in reaction to Israeli policies that fundamentally altered the
situation in the Occupied Territories.
8. The Al-Aqsa Intifada was primarily a
reaction to the failure of the peace process:
a) Yes, it was a convulsive reaction to the failure of the
Camp David meetings of July 2000.
b) No, it is primarily an inter-generational struggle for
power within the Palestinian movement.
9. Palestinian refugees should be
repatriated into pre-1967 Israel:
a) Yes, Israel should abide by UN resolutions regarding
repatriation and compensation.
b) No, it will destroy the Jewish character of the state of
Israel - and any significant repatriation will never be agreed to by Israel.
10. Jerusalem should serve as the
capital of both Israel and an independent Palestinian state:
a) Yes, Arab East Jerusalem should become the capital of a
Palestinian state.
b) No, Jerusalem should remain as the united capital of Israel.