DISCOURSES OF DENIAL: SILENCING THE PALESTINIANS, DELEGITIMIZING THEIR CLAIMS

This analysis will draw upon critical constructivism and theories of discourse and identity in order to analyze the discursive frames that emerged during the Truman Administration. These frames include the meanings that were attached to Palestine, the terms by which Jews and Palestinians were identified and defined and the deeper embedded meanings that informed discussions over partition and statehood. Attention will be drawn to the ways in which President Truman, his domestic advisors, the State and Defense Departments, the American press and the American public described and characterized Jews and Palestinians. The significant aspect of this approach is "not to provide the 'true' representation, but to provide a critical account of how particular representations circulate and take hold to produce practical political effects." In short, the key question is, what discursive structures emerged during the Truman years and how were they deployed in order to assess the validity of competing Jewish and Arab claims to Palestine in the years leading up to the creation of the State of Israel?