السياسة الأمريكية إزاء قضية اللاجئين الفلسطينيين خلال ولاية الرئيس الأمريكي بيل كلينتون ( 1993-2001 )
Date
2010-01-01
Authors
ساجي سلامه خليل خليل
Saji Salameh Khalil Khalil
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AL-Quds University
جامعة القدس
جامعة القدس
Abstract
This thesis examines the substance of US policy with regard to the
Palestinian Refugee issue during the presidency of Bill Clinton (1993 -
2001). It highlights the factors that contributed to the formation of policy,
and the elements it constituted of, as reflected in the detailed parameters,
put forward by President Bill Clinton at the Camp David negotiations
towards the end of 2000.
The problem of the thesis lies in identifying the changes occurred in
Clinton's position concerning the Palestinian Refugee issue compared with
the traditional American policy of the previous US administrations.
The thesis utilizes the historical analysis approach, and the content-analysis
research method, where the two are commensurate to the nature of the
subject under study, in terms of its historical dimension and the need to
examine and analyze available data and references.
The thesis is built on the hypothesis: that one main unstated reason for
President Clinton to approve the establishing of an independent Palestinian
state was to absorb the bulk of Palestinian refugees. What made that policy
relatively different from previous U.S. administrations' is its general
framework that had been built on the principle of establishing that
independent State. Nevertheless, the general framework of President
Clinton's policy concerning the refugee issue, had maintained a high degree
of harmony with the traditional American policies adopted by most
previous administrations.
The thesis concludes with confirming its hypothesis that says: Clinton's
policy towards solving the refugee issue is distinguished from the
traditional U.S. policies, in the sense that it offers a political solution to the
refugee issue, based on the establishing of an independent Palestinian state.
That state is to be set up within the context of a comprehensive solution to
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The thesis, furthermore, outlines President Clinton's plan, which includes
five options for the refugees to exercise their right of return to: 1) the State
of Palestine. 2) Israeli territories, which will be transferred to the
Palestinian sovereignty in the context of land exchange. 3) Arab countries
hosting the refugees. 4) third States. 5) the State of Israel.
The thesis highlights that the factors contributed in forming Clinton's
policy could not be departed from the developments occurred in Palestinian
political thinking, especially after launching the Palestinian peace initiative
in Algeria in 1988, through which the Palestinian leadership had agreed to
settle the refugee issue in the context of a comprehensive and final
settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and within the framework of
the United Nations Charter, the international law and the U N resolutions.
The thesis elaborates further, that President Clinton's theory for resolving
the refugee issue had adopted a needs-based approach, rather than a rightsbased
approach; considering the Palestinian needs as symbolic, while
considering the Israeli's as practical, with accompanying security
dimensions. According to Cinton's theory, a possible and appropriate
approach to resolve the refugee issue should be based on the political
negotiations among the conflicting parties and not on the international law
or the relevant international resolutions
Description
Keywords
الدراسات الاقليمية , Regional Studies