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Course Catalog > Courses: Spring

ZOOM: Understanding Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank   

**This class will be taught on Zoom.**

One of the challenges to creating an informed opinion is that everything happens in a context. While one  can perhaps learn the specific actions that take place in the Middle East, and particularly in Israel and  Palestine, without understanding the history of the area, one cannot hope to understand why those  actions take place. Further, the actions in Israel and Palestine very much impact life here in the United  States. This course will attempt to consider the history of the area and understand the roots of the conflict  between Israelis and Palestinians. Though it is an incredibly challenging topic to consider, it is imperative  to understanding one of the most divisive issues of our era.  

Week by Week Outline

Week 1 - Understanding Settler Colonialism; The Origin of the Jews - This week will delve into  colonialism versus settler colonialism, in order to understand the nation of Israel as colonial, but not settler  colonialism. With that basis, it will then grasp how the history of the Jews in the land of Israel also affects  this understanding of colonialism. It will examine how Jews have Canaanite roots and have lived in that  land for thousands of years. 

Week 2 - When Judea Became Palestine; The Origin of the Arabs - This class considers the origin of the  term “Palestine,” and how the first people called “Palestinians” were historically Jews (by the historian  Herodotus). It will look at the official changing of the name of the territory by the Roman Emperor Hadrian  in the second second. Then, it will shift to consider the origin of the Arab. They too have roots in the  Canaanites, and have thus lived in the land approximately as long as Jews.  

Week 3 - Origins of a Jewish National Identity; Origins of a Palestinian Identity - This week quickly passes  through the Middle Ages to look at nationalism and its impact on both Jewish and Palestinian  independence. Jewish independence really took shape in the 1800s, while Palestinian independence came  about more slowly and was hampered both by Britain and the other Arab nations. 

Week 4 - Partition Plans, the 1948 War, and the Nakba - This week will note the time of the British  Mandate over Palestine and the attempts to create a Palestinian identity. It will look at the US partition  plan, the Arab rejection of the plan, and the expulsion of the Palestinians by the IDF in 1948/1949 (the  Nakba). 

Week 5 - The PLO, the Impact of 1967, and the Settlers - This examines the time period between 1948 and  1967, noting Israel’s absentee property law, and the way in which both Egypt and Jordan prevented  Palestinian independence. It also considers Jordan’s lack of adherence to the Armistice Agreement in 1949.  It looks at the origins of the 1967 war, and the impact of the Israeli settlements. 

Week 6 - Hamas, Oslo, and the Netanyahu Era - This final class considers the development of Hamas as the  PLO shifted its approach, and the eventual coming together of the Oslo Accords. These appeared to have  significant promise, although various outside elements attempted to derail the peace process, and were  ultimately successful. It will end with the Gaza withdrawal in 2005 and the election of Hamas. 

 
  • ZOOM: Understanding Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank
  • Fee: $125.00
    Dates: 4/25/2025 - 5/30/2025
    Times: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
    Days: F
    Sessions: 6
    Building: Online
    Room:
    Instructor: Jason Hensley
    Seats Available: 75
    **This class will be taught on Zoom.**

    One of the challenges to creating an informed opinion is that everything happens in a context. While one  can perhaps learn the specific actions that take place in the Middle East, and particularly in Israel and  Palestine, without understanding the history of the area, one cannot hope to understand why those  actions take place. Further, the actions in Israel and Palestine very much impact life here in the United  States. This course will attempt to consider the history of the area and understand the roots of the conflict  between Israelis and Palestinians. Though it is an incredibly challenging topic to consider, it is imperative  to understanding one of the most divisive issues of our era.  

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