Robin Moss
A History of Israel’s Conflict(s): 1995-2005

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.

For ten years after the assassination of Rabin, Israel struggled between the impulse to make peace and the need to combat a new and terrifying form of violence as Islamist terrorism became a central part of the conflict. How Israeli leaders—of the left, right, and centre—chose to respond ultimately set the stage for the conflict as it exists today.

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