History of Israel Palestine and the Arab/Israeli/Palestinian conflict

History of Israel Palestine and the Arab/Israeli/Palestinian conflict

In your paper, analyze the following two documents: Leon Pinsker, Autoemancipation (1882), from the Jewish Virtual Library, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Zionism/pinsker.html (Links to an external site.) Simon Dubnow, “Autonomism” (1901), JMW, 397-399, CPreview the document (in the attachment)

The paper should begin with a clear thesis as to the significance of these sources, and how they can be used to shed light on the history of Israel, Palestine and the Arab/Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The paper should compare and contrast the two sources, considering their context, who wrote the sources, when and why. For this paper, unlike your midterm and final exams, you can use outside, scholarly sources to learn more about Pinsker and Dubnow. Make sure the information you use is from a scholarly source, and is carefully cited. Wikipedia can point you in the right direction, but does not count as a scholarly source.

Your paper should have lots of citations/footnotes, ideally a few per paragraph, some of which should be well selected quotations and analyzed quotations. Other citations should be specific points from the readings restated in your own words. Quotations should support your argument in the paper as a whole. When you quote the author’s words verbatim, you should also analyze those specific words: if that analysis doesn’t seem necessary, paraphrase.

This paper will be graded based on the following criteria:

Argument

Thesis is clearly stated. It is specific enough to be interesting and direct your analysis. It is not simply a statement of a topic (e.g. “The sources show how Arabs and Jews have been in conflict” or “Primary sources are useful for historical analysis”) but rather a statement of an argument (with the above example: “The conflict between Arab and Jewish communities within and beyond Palestine has been expressed in X and Y specific ways which changed in Z ways over time.

Use of sources

This paper should contextualize the primary sources with information from other readings, including Gelvin and Shapira. It may include outside sources. All sources must be used in a precise way, with page numbers and clear citations. The analysis must be based on details from sources rather than long stretches of broader speculation not based on sources.

Structure: The paper has a logical flow: paragraphs are divided up in a logical way and lead in a clear way from one to the next.

Style

Paper is well written with few typos. Sentences make sense—if you read the paper out loud to your friend they would be able to follow the argument.