Clusters of history: US involvement in the Palestine question

Abstract

US involvement in Palestine, which has been long and complex, has generated a massive historical record that needs to be understood in order to locate not only some of the origins of today’s tragic situation but also to chart possible paths to change. The power of AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, on US Middle East policy is well known; its background and relationship to the US fundamentalist Christian Right, less so. Starting from the nineteenth century, this article traces key elements and interests involved in the making of US policy, including AIPAC, the oil industry and the ‘Arabists’ of the State Department.