THE UNITED STATES & ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT
HIST 797 sec. 01 - SENIOR COLLOQUIUM

The Arab-Israeli conflict is the longest-running conflict in modern history. While unfolding over an area the size of New Jersey, its influence has been felt across the globe for over a century. This is true not least in the United States, where powerful constituencies organize for or against one side or the other, and where staunch support for Israel is a requirement of getting elected president. Indeed, the United States has been deeply involved in this conflict since before the founding of Israel in 1948. Since the 1970s, Israel has been America’s closest ally in the region and the recipient of hundreds of billions of dollars of aid, despite the risk of angering the influential oil producers of the Arab Gulf. This senior colloquium homes in on the mutual influence that runs between the United States, Israel, and the Palestinians. But more important, through an exploration of scholarly debates and available primary sources, the course provides students with the opportunity to become, for the first time, not mere consumers, but producers of history. The best essays will be selected for presentation at UNH’s signature Undergraduate Research Conference in the spring. Fulfills the Group I or II requirement for the History Major.