Paper #2 - Action Memo
Sheikh Jarrah Massacre

Due by 8 p.m. on March 24, emailed to me as a Microsoft Word document (.doc, .docx) to dhopper@marymount.edu. Students turning in papers containing plagiarism will fail the course.  Late papers will be reduced in grade depending on how late it is.

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Topic: Read this February 16, 2022 Axios article first, as background.  It is March 2022.  As noted in the article, Israeli Knesset (parliament) member Itamar Ben Gvir, a noted Jewish Supremacist, set up an "office" in the Palestinian Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.  Ben Gvir has been killed by a rifle shot.  It isn't clear who killed him, but as a result, Jewish settlers and supporters of Ben Gvir rush into the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and begin a massacre.  Hundreds of Palestinian families, including children, are killed.  The Israeli government refuses to take action against the settlers, and the media report that the Israeli Defense Forces assisted in the attack.  Arab countries are outraged, and demand action.  You work in the Office of Israeli and Palestinian Affairs at the U.S. State Department.  You are tasked with recommending that the withdraw the U.S. Ambassador, Thomas Nides, to Washington as a way to show that the U.S. is upset with the Israeli response.  Write an Action Memo recommending that the Secretary withdraw the U.S. Ambassador.

 

You are making an argument to the Secretary; this should be a persuasive memo.  Address the effects of withdrawing the Ambassador, how it would help, how Israel might respond, and mention (and refute) opposing arguments.

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Important tips:

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• This is an action memo.  You are asking that the Secretary authorize this action, and persuading him why it's the right thing to do, even though there are costs and risks.  You may also mention other steps (or "escalating measures") that we may want to consider if things get worse.

• Consider in this situation: What does the Secretary already know?  What doesn't he know?  Don't tell him things he already knows.

• This is a maximum of three pages.  He's too busy for more!

• This is a foreign policy paper, not an academic paper.  You don't need to show references or citations.  However, you should use reference materials to develop your argument.  Do not use Wikipedia.  In addition to the Axios article linked above, use original sources, news articles, or academic papers.

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Format:  Use the template, linked here. Use 16-point Times New Roman font.  Do not modify the margins.  Each paragraph should start with (U), which stands for unclassified.  You can use graphs or maps as attachments if you like.

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You should have a classmate help edit your paper, but we will not do this in class.  If you edit someone else's paper, you should be listed as a "clearer" on their paper.  You can have multiple people provide edits, but you can get only one point of extra credit for edits per assignment.  You must draft the paper yourself. Students caught turning in plagiarized work will fail the course and will be reported to the Academic Integrity process.

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Grades will be based on:

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• Writing. The paper must have a clear thesis, stated early, and grab the reader's attention. The rest of the paper should contain facts and logic that support the thesis.

• Analysis of the effects of this decision, how it might help, and what might follow.
   

There isn't a single right answer here; you will be graded on the thoughtfulness of your analysis.