Connections: 9-11, U.S., Israel, Palestine

Skyline College
Library

Research Links for
Connections: 9-11, U. S., Israel & Palestine

"Why did this happen to us?"

You need to focus on the central issue: "The role of the United States in the creation, support and the maintenance of the State Israel and the connection between that role and what happened on September 11, 2001." Examine the data in the following sources as objectively as you can and having observed the data try to answer that question as a result of your own conclusion. What would you have done if you were the President of the United States of America?

The sources of data can be divided into the following main categories:

1)- United Nations Resolutions, Statements and/or Documents regarding Israeli/Palestinian conflict

2)- Policy statements and documents in support of Israel in its conflict with Palestine

3)- Policy statements and documents in support of Palestine in its conflict with Israel

4)- Statements from non-governmental agencies and periodicals regarding the conflict

5)- Documentaries - especially PBS' Frontline dealing with the issue of conflict

6)- And a few texts that deal with the Israeli/Palestine conflict

I: United Nations Resolutions and Statements:

Between 1947 and 2000 there have six major UN resolutions regarding Israeli/Palestine Conflict:

1)- UN Resolution # 181: November 29th, 1947

2)- UN Resolution # 194: December 11th, 1948.

3)- UN Resolution # 242: November 22nd, 1967.

4)- UN Resolution # 338: October 22nd, 1973.

5)- UN Resolution # 3236: November 22nd, 1974.

6)- UN Resolution # 1322: October 7th, 2000.

You can find these resolutions at: http://www.en.monde-diplomatique.fr/focus/mideast/reso-intro-en

II: Official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Israel: http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/home.asp

III: History of Israel in Maps: http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0dtc0
Note: The maps have been put forth by the Ministry of Information of the Government of Israel.

Look at the map of 1923: You can see Palestine, do you see Israel?

Now look at the map of 1947: The partition of Palestine into two states: A Jewish State and an Arab State: Notice where Jerusalem is. Now look at the map of March 2000: You can see Israel: Where is Palestine? Compare and contrast the map of 1923 and that of March 2000 relative to State of Israel and Palestine. What do you think has happened?

IV: United Jerusalem: http://www.unitedjerusalem.com/

Click on the link: U.S. "Jerusalem Embassy Act"

Now go back and look closely at the map of 1947: UN Resolution # 181: The Partition of Palestine into a Jewish State and an Arab State: Where is Jerusalem? Look at its location and status in reference to UN Resolution # 181, Part III, Section C, Subsection (2). Now, according to U.S. Jerusalem Embassy Act, how does Jerusalem become the Capital of the State of Israel?

V: Palestinian Liberation Organization's websites:

1)- PLO site mainitained by Dr. Eng. Baker Abdel Munem, Palestine Ambassador to Canada: http://www.cyberus.ca/~baker/pal_plo_1.htm

2)- PLO Negotiations Affairs Department: http://www.nad-plo.org/

3)- PLO Ministry of Information: http://www.minfo.gov.ps/ [As of 12-5-02, this website was unavailable]

4)- Palestine Legislative Council: http://www.pal-plc.org/english/english.html

VI: Other sources of information: Periodicals, Non-governmental agencies etc.

InfoTrac OneFile Database: excellent general periodical database.
Available from off-campus--as long as you have a library card (library card bar code number is required).

To search only for articles that include the full text (the whole article) in the database, check the "articles with text" box under "Limit the current search" (below the text entry box)

To narrow searches, combine concepts with AND.

Once you find one article specifically on your topic, click on any relevant subject headings (near the bottom of the article page) to find more articles on that topic. Some relevant subject headings:

ARAB-Israeli conflict

PALESTINE -- Relations -- Israel

ISRAEL -- Relations -- Palestine

PALESTINE -- Politics & government

ISRAEL -- Politics & government

PALESTINE Liberation Organization

Proquest Newpapers database: a database of full-text articles from many of the most important newspapers in the country--New York Times, S. F. Chronicle, S. F. Examiner, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, L. A. Times & Christian Science Monitor--as well as some regional papers from Northern California. Only available from on campus (library or computer labs).

1)- Newsweek Archives: Over 200 records since September 11, 2001: http://archives1.newsbank.com/

2)- New York Times Archives: http://www.nytimes.com/

3)- Time Magazine's: Special report on: The Day of Infamy: http://www.time.com/time/covers/110101914/

4)- The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/
In its Archives look for October 24, 2001 Issue and other issues relevant to our topic. The October 24, Issue had an article titled: "Say it loud: no more support until Israel agrees to pull out..."

5)- September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks: See Skyline Library's Links to Resources on September 11 Terrorist Attacks & Responses

6)- Ten Things to Know about US Policy in the Middle East: http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11592
Take special note of items 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 in this website.

7)- Middle East Research and Information Project Primer on the UPRISING IN PALESTINE: http://www.merip.org/new_uprising_primer/primer_all_text.html

9) US/Israeli/Palestinian mix:

Several statements/documents and information about the above topic including data relative to US military and financial aid to Israel: "Truth, Justice and Human Rights in the Middle East": http://www.mideastfacts.com/index_usint.html

10) The following Magazines:

i)- Time Magazine: Special Report: September 11, 2001.

ii)- Time Magazine: Special Issue: September 24, 2001.

iii)- Newsweek Extra Edition: September 11, 2001.

iv)- Newsweek Special Report, September 24, 2001.

v)- Newsweek Commemorative Issue, Fall 2001: Spirit of America.

11)- Books: There are of course scores of books if not hundreds about this topic, here are some recommendations:

i)- Why Nations Go To War. (2000 Edition)
Chapter Six: The Thirty Years' War in the Holy Land.
John Stoessinger.

ii)- Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel and the Palestinians.
Noam Chomsky.

iii)- A History of the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict.
Mark Tessler

iv)- Blaming the Victims: Spurious Scholarship and the Palestinian Question.
Edward W. Said

v)- This Side of Peace: A Personal Account.
Hanan Ashrawi.

vi)- Struggle for the Holy Land: Arabs, Jews and the Emergence of Israel.
William Hare.

vii)- Palestinian Liberation Organization: People, Power, and Politics.
Helen Cobban.

All of the above books (except vii) are available from the Peninsula Library System (PLS) and/or are on order by Skyline Library.
Check the PLS Online Catalog, the online catalog to find books in Skyline Library and in all libraries in the Peninsula Library Sytem.

Type in the name of your topic in the search box and click the Search button.
Type the title of the book in the search box and click the Search button.
The search results will show books and other materials in all libraries in the Peninsula Library Sytem.
Limit your results to books at Skyline Library by clicking on the Limit button at the right side of the page and then scroll down to near the bottom and click on Skyline College Library and then click OK.
Type in the title of the book in the search box and click the Search button.
You may "Request an Item" to have it sent from another library to be held for you at Skyline. You must have a library card to place a hold.

12) Videos Relative to this topic: PBS Frontline Program:

i)- Target America: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/target/

ii)- Looking for Answers: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/terrorism/

iii)- Dangerous Straits: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/china/

iv)- Hunting bin Laden: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/

v)- The Special Relationships in the 21st Century.
(Winston Churchill).

13) Related Links/Bibliography pages from Skyline Library:

Contact Professor Johannes Masare at: (650) 738-4288 or e-mail at: akoirmi@aol.com;
Professor Masare's homepage: http://www.smccd.net/accounts/masare/index.html