The Image of the Issue of Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis) in the Memoirs of American Decision-Makers

Abstract

The paper discusses the memoirs of a number of American decision-makers and the image of Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) in their memoirs, in light of the political information this provides, and in light of the decision-makers' backgrounds, intellectual biases, psychological formations, and approaches to dealing with issues. On the other hand, it is noticeable in the Arab scholarly and academic environment that there is no analysis of contemporary Islamic issues through these memoirs. Therefore, this paper tries to explore the issue of Jerusalem and the surrounding circumstances and parties, as it appears in the memoirs of three American decision-makers, namely: Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates. This choice was adopted to demonstrate a variety of stances and positions: Rice first worked as a National Security Advisor, then as Secretary of State, so she combined two security and diplomatic positions; Clinton worked as a Foreign Minister, a diplomatic position; and Gates worked as Defence Minister, a military position in addition to his previously held position as the Director of Central Intelligence, so he combined positions in the security services and the military. Usually, there are power struggles over influence and the exercise of power that lead to bad relationships, but what is new in the memoirs of the three politicians is that despite their different perspectives, there was a high degree of harmony and the ability between them to work together without strong conflicts. The paper adopts a historical, analytical and comparative approach in the portrayal of issues raised by these memoirs and how these three personalities dealt with them, in order to analyse the constants and variables that arise when dealing with the issue of Jerusalem.

Özet

Amerikalı Karar Alıcıların Hatıralarında Beytülmakdis Meselesi: Robert Gates, Condoleezza Rice ve Hillary Clinton

Keywords: Kudüs, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri, Karar Alıcıları, Robert Gates, Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton