I am enlightened by the brutal reality regarding displacement in the Middle East. As illustrated by Chatty (2010) and Yassin-Kassab and Al-Shami (2016), I understand that some of the displacements in the Middle East are driven by political and strategic interests. Also, the course has enhanced my knowledge of how security issues in US politics influence displacement and refugees in the Middle East. In addition, despite the fact that the wars in Iraq and Syria have resulted in the greatest number of refugees and displacement in the Arab World, many more have fled failed states such as Yemen and Afghanistan
The course provided various dimensions for understanding and answering the question I have posed as the focus of my CMAP. For example, Chatty (2010) cited that the wars between the British, the Jews, and the Palestinians can be traced back to the 1920s in Jerusalem. The armed conflict escalated in the 1940s and later years, and paved the way for the settlement and for events that we live to this day. The course also provided sufficient historical information to understand why Sheikh Jarrah was targeted by the Israeli settlement policies and also other cases where the same thing was done to Palestinians in different areas of their country.
From the course, I learned about the impact of refugees and displacement on politics and economies. It also presented a new dimension for understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the role that Sheikh Jarrah plays in the equation.