Date
Event Time
12:00 PM
Cost
$320
Location
ONLINE
Event Details
This 8-session course meets on Thursdays, 2/6/25 - 3/27/25
12:00pm-1:30pm PT
Our course will cover the history of the Holy Land from Ottoman rule to the present day. We will quickly review the rise and fall of the Ottomans, then focus on the emergence of Jewish and Arab nationalism, the role of the British and the two World Wars, the re-creation of the state of Israel, and the Arab-Israel conflict. We will analyze the narratives generated by each side and test them against historical reality. We will conclude with the turmoil in the Middle East and beyond ensuing upon the October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel by Hamas.
Session 1: Rapid survey of Middle East history through the emergence of Islam and the Ottoman Empire to the end of World War 1.
Session 2: Zionism and Arab Nationalism from 1855 to 1947.
Session 3: Israel and the Arab world from 1948 to 1967.
Session 4: Israel and the rise of Hamas, the PLO, and Hezbollah from 1967 to 2000.
Session 5: Peace with Egypt, Peace with Jordan, Intifadas #1 and #2.
Session 6: The Oslo Accords, the creation of the Palestinian Authority, and the resurrection of terrorist warfare.
Session 7: Iraq and Iran as sponsors of the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, and Hezbollah; the threat of Iranian nuclear aspirations; and the Abraham Accords as a turning point in modern Middle Eastern geopolitics.
Session 8: From October 7, 2023, to the present: how this last war has affected Israel, the EU, the UK, the UN, the Arab world, and the USA.
David Meir-Levi is an American-born Israeli currently living in Palo Alto, CA. He taught Archaeology and Near Eastern History at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and at the University of Tel Aviv in the 60's and 70's, during which time he completed his service in the Israeli military. He has most recently lectured at universities such as John's Hopkins, Florida State University, San Jose State University, and more.