Case Study : The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a long-term conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. It is a war that is part of a broader conflict between Israel and the Arab states.

The course will deal with the following themes :

1) The components of the conflict :

• The global geopolitical context of the Middle East ;

• The state of the conflict in 2009 ;

• The origins of the conflict ;

• Peace talks.

2) The road to peace :

• The role of the Middle East Quartet (the U.S., the E.U., Russia and the U.N.)

• Israel’s view and position ;

• The Arab states’ view and position ;

• The view of resistance organizations fighting Israel’s occupation of Palestine (Fatah and Hamas).

3) Conditions for a peaceful resolution of the conflict :

• The process of decolonization of Gaza and the Occupied Territories ;

• The dismantling of the "security" wall ;

• Recognition of Palestinians’ rights to self-determination and return ;

• The creation of a Palestinian state on the territories defined during the creation of the state of Israel.

Lecturer :

Jules Dufour, Ph.D.
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi