Framing the Arab-Israeli/Palestinian-Israeli/Middle East Conflict in the U.S. Senate

• In Event: 458 - Regular Session. The Politics of Race, Ethnicity and Religion

Abstract

This paper examines how the Arab-Israeli conflict was framed by witnesses at hearings of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee between 1962 and 2006. There were very few witnesses–120 in 20 hearings–and the largest proportion represented U.S. government departments rather than interest organizations. Organizations clearly supporting the Arabs and those supporting Israel were roughly equal in number. Most witnesses see the Arabs and Israel as major parties to the conflict, though others have been discussed at various times, including the Soviet Union and the Palestinians. The conflict is not described predominantly as the Palestinian-Arab conflict. Witnesses are very much divided on how they define the major problems involved, who causes them, and what solutions they propose. Very generally, the number of witnesses favoring a pro-Arab frame equals the number favoring a pro-Israel frame. There is no evidence that one side or the other dominates the debate.

Author

• Paul Burstein, University of Washington