ABSTRACT
There is a widespread assumption in the United States that resolution of the conflict between the Israelis and their Arab neighbors is an extremely complex issue and that the United States is an “honest broker” that has been and is the best hope for peace. The view from the Arab world and much of the rest of the international community is quite different, however. Since the late 1960s, the United States has been the primary international supporter of the Israeli government and its occupation forces while at the same time playing the role of mediator in the Arab–Israeli conflict. Maintaining these contradictory roles is in large part responsible for the on-going Israeli–Palestinian violence, which has brought neither justice for the Palestinians nor security for Israel. It has also contributed to the dramatic rise of anti-American sentiment, not just among Palestinians, but among Arabs and Muslims in lands well beyond Palestine.
