A Documentary History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

This collection of essential documents bearing on the long-standing Arab-Israeli conflict begins with Leo Pinsker's pamphlet of 1882 which first proposed the establishment of a Jewish state, preferably in Palestine, and ends with the United Nations Security Council resolution of 1990. Issued by the various official and quasi-official governments and organizations that have been parties to the dispute, the documents provide the background to political Zionism and illustrate Great Britain's role in both supporting the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine and in easing Arab fears.

In addition, the collection demonstrates the major role played by the United States. Charles L. Geddes' introductions to each document are primarily based on other documents such as published memoirs of the participants, published and unpublished letters, reportage from international reporting services, and more.

These prologues place each document in its historical context. To many of the documents Geddes has appended epilogues that contain detailed information on the results or reaction to that particular paper. Among the landmark works included in the collection are Theodor Herzl's Der Judenstaat; "The Basel Program" of the First Zionist Congress; the "Balfour Declaration;" the "Churchill White Paper;" and the PLO proclamation of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Most of the documents have been reproduced in their entirety directly from the relevant sources. From those too lengthy to reprint in full, only the conclusions or recommendations have been included. None have been paraphrased or truncated and no relevant information has been omitted. The result of Geddes' 25-year experience teaching a course on the Arab-Israeli conflict, this scholarly work serves as a supplementary text for college courses on the subject and can also stand alone as an invaluable reference for students, media professionals, and informed general readers.