Robin Moss
A History of Israel’s Conflict(s): 1880s-1936

Since before its founding, and right up to today, Israel has been defined by conflict. In this series, we try to tell the story of Israel’s multiple fights against its multiple enemies — “conflicts within a conflict” — in as fair-minded and non-tendentious a way as possible. Everything about the conflict is contested, even down to the very name! (Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Israeli-Arab conflict? Conflict in the Middle East? Israel’s conflict against the terrorists?) So we will tread carefully, try to engage with multiple perspectives, and hope to end up with more knowledge and a greater depth of understanding of this most divisive of conflicts.

Zionist pioneers began to come to the Land of Israel in substantial numbers from the 1880s onwards. They had complicated interactions and relationships with their Arab neighbours. As the 20th century dawned, the entire spectrum from active coexistence to deep animosity existed, and by the 1920s the spectre of violence haunted the region.

This lecture is presented in association with Etgar, a Jewish and Israel education programme in the UK. etgar.co.uk.