The US foreign policy stance on Israel-Palestine has shifted considerably in recent years, from a position of "Israel only" to one which embraces both Israel and Palestine in a call for peace. This volume assesses why the US stance has evolved in the way that it has, concluding that while international factors cannot be overlooked, developments within the United States itself are also crucial.

After years of vacillating on Palestinian national aspirations, the majority of Americans, the author notes, have come to favor the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the West Bank and the Gaza strip. Considering what accounts for changes in US policy on Israel-Palestine, this volume:

delivers a thorough assessment of the role of international and domestic factors in shaping US policy in this area

considers how US policy has evolved from the Camp David negotiations of the 1970s up to the occupation of Iraq in the mid 2000s

explores the significance of American public opinion and the pro-Israel and Arab lobbies in the evolution of US policy

The Arab Lobby and US Foreign Policy will be of interest to students and scholars of Foreign Policy and Political Science, Current Affairs and American Studies.

Khalil M. Marrar is Professor at DePaul University, USA. He has served in editorial positions at the Arab Studies Quarterly and the Association of Arab-American University Graduates.

Reviews

"Khalil Marrar brings us a closely reasoned, powerfully documented, and gracefully written analysis of the OTHER lobby and efforts to shape US policy in the Middle East. A valuable antidote to the simplicities that continue to distort this long running tragedy." - J.David Singer, University of Michigan, USA

"This is an important and much-needed book. Marrar uses the politics of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine as a window through which to see the activities and prospects of the pro-Arab lobby in the United States. Part of the creaf this work is that Dr. Marrar not only studies how pro-Arab lobby groups in the U.S. have tried to influence public opinion and foreign policy, he also shows how the arrow points in the other direction—the way that the Arab lobby is influenced and constrained by events in America and abroad. This thorough and provocative examination helps fill a tragic gap in our knowledge of ethnic interest group politics, and serves as a must-read for students of American foreign policy and ethnic interest group politics." - Patrick J. Haney, Professor of Political Science, Miami University, USA

Contents

1. US Foreign Policy and the Two State Solution 2. Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Perception 3. The Effects of the Pro-Israel Lobby 4. The Effects and Potential of the Pro-Arab Lobby 5. Conclusion and Scenarios: Two States Versus One. Appendices. Bibliography

Author Bio

Khalil M. Marrar is Professor at DePaul University, USA. He has taught courses in history, religion, and politica...