Human Rights in the Middle East: An Analysis of the Human Rights Policies and Practices of The State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority
Abstract
My decision to write about the Middle East stems from a personal
connection to the region as well as a college career devoted to the study of the
political and social conditions of the Middle East. For many different reasons,
the Middle East plays a salient role in international politics and relations.
And a knowledge of human rights theory and practice is essential to the
understanding of the process and course of international politics. Thus as a
Senior Individualized Project for an International and Area Studies major
this topic is particularly relevant.
The choice to focus on the human rights practices of Israel and the
newly formed Palestinian Authority was not difficult. It is true that every
other nation in the Middle East is guilty of some form of human rights
violations. However, the conditions in Israel and the Palestinian Authority
are unique. One is a parliamentary democracy with a history of primarily good
relations with the international community. The other is a geographically
fractured entity with an essentially authoritarian political structure whose
regional and international status is as yet undetermined. Both have
exceptionally poor human rights records. What is so fascinating about the
human rights situation in Israel and the Palestinian Authority is the
analogous nature of the political development of the two bodies. By this I
mean the acquisition of power as a prerequisite for engaging in human rights
abuses; the transition of a group from the position of victim to that of
aggressor. This inter-conectedness of history, politics, and human rights is
what I seek to portray and understand through this project.
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