The history department at Princeton University has approved the hiring of Mr. Khalidi, a historian of Arab nationalism who is best known for his harsh criticisms of American foreign policy and activism on behalf of Palestinian Arabs, the source said.

The department's approval doesn't necessarily mean that Princeton will hire Mr. Khalidi. His candidacy now goes before a high-level university committee whose membership includes the dean of the faculty, David Dobkin, the source said...

...While scholars in his field have praised Mr. Khalidi for his scholarship on the making of the modern Middle East, his critics have said his work veers toward anti-Americanism and is biased against Israel.

In his book "Resurrecting Empire," Mr. Khalidi said America started a war in Iraq to gain "hegemony over the region, in collaboration with Israel." In public statements, Mr. Khalidi has doubted the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In an article he wrote last month for the Financial Times, Mr. Khalidi said the most pressing problem in the region is Israel's occupation of the West Bank. He said America and Israel would be making a disastrous mistake if they didn't deal with Hamas.