Jerusalem as perceived by the successive US Administrations since WWII: An analysis of the political positions and the general contexts

Authors

Fadi Jumaa, Arab American UniversityFollow

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to shed light on the attitudes and the positions of the successive American administrations towards Jerusalem and its holy sites. It further aims at evaluating the events and reasons that influenced the overall American foreign policy toward Palestine in general and the Holy Land in particular. This is so by answering the major questions about the factors and variables that influenced the American positions on Jerusalem within the internal and external considerations of US foreign policy.

The study is based on the premise that US foreign policy has historically been hazy about Jerusalem and its holy places. Despite attempts to demonstrate neutrality and adherence to international charters and treaties, the successive US administrations have remained biased to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. This hazy picture remained dominant until President Donald Trump took over the United States; he ended this stage to show full and public bias to the Israeli occupation. This was obvious in Trump's announcement of the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem. According to many analysts, this decision has opened a new chapter of the US position toward Jerusalem and the Palestinian issue. To prove this hypothesis, the study relied on historical qualitative analytical methodologies.

The study has come up with several points and remarks, most notably those related to the US hostile policies and attitudes against the Palestinians. That is, the US policies in general are not friendly with the Palestinians and do not understand their cause in various aspects. The US policy is also characterized by the unlimited support to Israel provided in the form of financial, military and political assistance despite its knowledge and realization that "Israel" is an occupying state, which practices the policies of displacement and settlement in the occupied territories. The paradox is that theoretically and officially, the United States has declared its support for the various international resolutions that consider Jerusalem as part of the occupied Palestinian territories, but practically, the US is totally convinced of the "Israeli's" viewpoint on this particular crucial issue. This US hostile position is definitely fueled by AIPAC, the Jewish lobby and the different Zionist groups along with other factors and variables.

Recommended Citation

Jumaa, Fadi (2020) "Jerusalem as perceived by the successive US Administrations since WWII: An analysis of the political positions and the general contexts," Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث: Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 9.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.aaru.edu.jo/aaup/vol6/iss1/9