Folks! What a privilege to be able to bring you this conversation with Israeli American scholar Dr. Omer Bartov, Dean’s Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University.
Dr. Bartov was my first-ever guest on The Debrief and it was a pleasure to welcome him back to discuss his latest book, Israel: What Went Wrong? It’s a must-read explanation for how a state founded upon the ashes of the Holocaust could perpetrate mass war crimes (arguably even genocide) in Gaza following Hamas’ horrific attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. (It’s also much more than that.)
Here are some of the topics we discussed:
Deepening occupation and “managing the conflict” — how this led to a paroxysm of violence in the form of Hamas’ October 7 atrocities
The Netanyahu government’s exploitation of the Hamas attack to commit atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza and intensify ethnic cleansing in the West Bank
Psychological impact of October 7 and the Gaza genocide on Jewish Israelis across the political spectrum
Settler colonialism — Bartov’s case for how it applies to Jewish settlement in Israel-Palestine and what it can help us to understand about October 7 and the Gaza genocide
Zionism — How it went terribly wrong and why Bartov thinks it is irredeemable
Lack of a constitution — How this has undermined Israeli democracy, undermined Palestinian rights, and set the stage for the ongoing judicial coup
International intervention — Why it is imperative for the US, Europe, and others to force Israel to change course (and the likely consequences if they don’t)
I noticed there was plenty of discussion going on in the chat! Feel free to keep the discussion going here by sharing your thoughts and reactions in the comments.
Friends, I’m building The Debrief into an indispensable resource for anyone who wants to understand the crisis in Israel-Palestine and how they can make a difference.
~ In order to continue and expand this work, I need your help! ~
Will you please consider becoming a paid subscriber now? You can also show your support with a one-time donation in any amount. Thank you.
Next Up!
TOMORROW at 11am Eastern:
Iran expert Trita Parsi joins me to discuss the latest on the Middle East war debacle. How will it end and what are the long-term ramifications? Many of us have relied on Trita’s cogent analysis throughout the past two months since the US and Israel launched the war against Iran. I’m delighted to welcome him to The Debrief! Please note that this will be a short podcast (~30 minutes). Try to tune in at the top of the hour, if you can.
Notes for Folks Who Want to Ask Questions During Podcasts
I love to integrate audience questions into The Debrief’s podcasts whenever possible.
You can help me by:
Sending your questions to me ahead of time, if possible. You can use the subscriber chat, message me directly, or comment when I post announcements for upcoming podcasts.
Keep questions you put into the live chat short. I monitor the chat myself and can’t read lengthy comments and moderate a conversation at the same time.
Tomorrow is MAY DAY
For all of you democracy fans out there, here’s a reminder that tomorrow is May Day! Indivisible and other pro-democracy organizations that helped organize the No Kings protests are calling on Americans to show our economic power by boycotting work, school, and shopping. You can also check if there are events happening near you at mobilize.us.
That’s it for now! Hope to see some of you tomorrow at 11am.
Warm regards,
Debra
